The Phoenix
by VectorSigma101
Summary: There is a storm brewing in the kingdom of the Clans. Tensions between the Clans are higher than ever, and cats left and right are being accused as murderers. A startling prophecy comes forth, foreshadowing a terrible warning. Goldenstar's confident that he and his Clan will survive, but some cats aren't too sure. After all, even the greatest fires must eventually perish. COMPLETE!
1. Allegiances

**WATERFALLCLAN**

**Leader:**

Goldenstar—golden tabby tom w/ awry front right paw &amp; shorten tail w/ golden eyes **Lives—8**

**Deputy:**

Moonshadow—dark gray tom w/ darker stripes w/ amber eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Mintshard—black tabby tom w/ green eyes **Apprentice—Whiskerpaw**

**Warriors:**

Cedarstep—dark brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Otterwhisker—ginger tabby &amp; white she-cat w/ green eyes

Leopardnose—golden she-cat w/ unusual black spots &amp; green eyes

Nightstrike—black tom w/ green eyes &amp; white spot on back (former SavageClan warrior) **Apprentice—Leafpaw**

Ryeleaf—pale brown tabby tom w/ green eyes

Cliffjumper—dark ginger tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Meltingice—white she-cat w/ ginger tabby patches &amp; blue eyes

Leapingriver—light brown she-cat w/ white paws &amp; tail-tip w/ green eyes

Mousethorn—small, dark brown tom w/ ginger underbelly &amp; golden eyes

Privetdrop—white tom w/ black marking over right eye &amp; one green eye &amp; one blue eye

Moonshine—dark gray tabby she-cat w/ golden eyes **Apprentice—Rustpaw**

Tallstalk—long-legged pale gray tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Auburnwhisker—dark golden-brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Stalkshine—pale golden tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Reedleg—long-haired dark gray tom w/ darker legs &amp; green eyes

Shadowclaw—black she-cat w/ white splash on chest &amp; ice blue eyes

Springfox—brown tabby tom w/ white stripe down back &amp; golden eyes

Fallsriver—brown tabby &amp; white she-cat w/ green eyes

Quailheart—pale gray tabby tom w/ pale green eyes

**Apprentices:**

Whiskerpaw—small, speckled pale golden she-cat w/ amber eyes &amp; a limp (medicine cat apprentice)

Rustpaw—dark ginger tom w/ unusual black spots &amp; green eyes (10 moons)

Leafpaw—small, pale brown tabby she-cat w/ green eyes (10 moons)

**Queen:**

Dustberry—dusty, dark gray tabby she-cat w/ blue eyes (mother of Cliffjumper's kits: 6 moons old)

**Kits:**

Cragkit—ginger tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Adderkit—dark brown tabby she-cat w/ golden eyes

**Elders:**

Tinyspirit—tortoiseshell &amp; white tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Stripedwhisker—dark brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes &amp; a crippled back left leg

Steelclaw—gray tabby tom w/ blind blue eyes

* * *

**ROWANCLAN**

**Leader:**

Prattlestar—pale ginger tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes (former SavageClan cat) **Lives—9**

**Deputy:**

Flashspark—light brown tabby tom w/ green eyes (former SavageClan cat)

**Medicine Cat:**

Chervilpad—pale brown tabby she-cat w/ green eyes **Apprentice—Crowstripe**

**Warriors:**

Emberdust—dark ginger tom w/ faint brown patches &amp; green eyes

Russetflame—dark ginger tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Dewdapple—dappled dark gray tom w/ green eyes

Secretfaith—pale ginger she-cat w/ green eyes

Falconswoop—light brown tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Prideheart—black &amp; white tom w/ blue eyes (former loner)

Tumbletwig—dark brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes** Apprentice—Sharppaw**

Dapplespots—dappled gray she-cat w/ green eyes

Yewclaw—pale gray tom w/ amber eyes **Apprentice—Robinpaw**

Gingerflower—dappled pale ginger tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Tinysnake—small, ginger &amp; gray tom w/ green eyes

Mistytail—pale gray tabby &amp; white she-cat w/ blue eyes

Fadedheart—white tom w/ dark gray stripes w/ blue eyes

Featherspots—white she-cat w/ dark gray spots &amp; blue eyes

**Apprentices:**

Crowstripe—black tom w/ paler stripe along back &amp; blue eyes (medicine cat apprentice)

Sharppaw—ginger tom w/ amber eyes (10 moons)

Robinpaw—gray &amp; ginger she-cat w/ green eyes (10 moons)

**Queens:**

Eagleheart—paler brown tabby she-cat w/ green eyes (mother of Yewclaw's kits—1 moon old)

**Kits:**

Soulkit—pale brown tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Wispkit—pale gray she-cat w/ green eyes

**Elders:**

Badgermask—black &amp; white tom w/ green eyes

Leoparddash—long-haired brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Cloversplash—tortoiseshell &amp; white she-cat w/ amber eyes

Ravenwing—black tom w/ amber eyes

* * *

**MEADOWCLAN**

**Leader:**

Froststar—gray tabby she-cat w/ blue eyes **Lives—5**

**Deputy:**

Flintstrike—gray tabby tom w/ blue eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Frozenwhisker—white tom w/ green eyes **Apprentice—Pigeonpaw**

**Warriors:**

Windpath—gray tabby &amp; white she-cat w/ blue eyes

Tadpoleclaw—black tom w/ golden eyes

Sootwind—smokey-gray tom w/ amber eyes

Flashclaw—silver tabby tom w/ green eyes

Fuzzyface—dark gray fluffy tom w/ blue eyes

Lichenpelt—mottled light brown she-cat w/ amber eyes

Finchwing—light brown tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

Shadowmask—black tom w/ blue eyes

Lightberry—white she-cat w/ golden eyes

Fogpelt—gray tabby tom w/ pale blue eyes

Fieldstep—gray fluffy tom w/ green eyes

Maskclaw—black &amp; gray tom w/ amber eyes

Sandtail—pale ginger she-cat w/ amber eyes

Sorrelpetal—tortoiseshell she-cat w/ amber eyes

**Apprentice:**

Pigeonwing—gray &amp; white tom w/ golden eyes (medicine cat apprentice)

**Queens:**

Freezefur—paler gray she-cat w/ blue eyes (mother of Fieldstep's kits—4 moons old)

Meadowdash—light brown she-cat w/ amber eyes (mother of Fogpelt's kits—2 moons old)

**Kits:**

Graykit—gray tom w/ amber eyes

Stormkit—fluffy dark gray tom w/ green eyes

Cloudkit—white she-cat w/ amber eyes

**Elders:**

Brackenstripe—brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Silentbreeze—silver tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Ivystep—gray &amp; white she-cat w/ blue eyes

Thornstep—brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Hazelnose—brown &amp; cream she-cat w/ amber eyes

* * *

**THISTLECLAN**

**Leader:**

Sloestar—black she-cat w/ blue eyes **Lives—8**

**Deputy:**

Batwing—brown &amp; black tom w/ amber eyes

**Medicine Cat: **

Shatterpelt—dark gray she-cat w/ large darker patches &amp; blue eyes **Apprentice—Sunpaw**

**Warriors:**

Duskwing—gray tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Hailbreath—small, gray &amp; white she-cat w/ blue eyes **Apprentice—Squirrelpaw**

Hollowhead—brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Tidefeather—black tom w/ blue eyes

Foxrun—small, dark ginger tom w/ green eyes (former SavageClan warrior)

Rubyfur—dark reddish-tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes **Apprentice—Shrewpaw**

Runningclaw—brown tabby tom w/ green eyes

Cinderbird—gray tabby she-cat w/ blue eyes

Berryshade—dark gray &amp; white tom w/ blue eyes

Voleear—dark brown tom w/ large ears &amp; amber eyes

Dashwind—dark ginger tom w/ amber eyes

Dawnheart—reddish-brown tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

Mudsplash—brown &amp; ginger tom w/ amber eyes

Apricotfur—dark ginger she-cat w/ amber eyes

Puddletail—gray &amp; white she-cat w/ blue eyes

Frostwillow—white tom w/ blue eyes

**Apprentices:**

Shrewpaw—dark brown tom w/ amber eyes

Squirrelpaw—ginger &amp; gray she-cat w/ blue eyes

Sunpaw—ginger tom w/ amber eyes (medicine cat apprentice)

**Queen:**

Applepelt—reddish-brown she-cat w/ amber eyes (mother of Foxrun's kits—3 moons old)

**Kit:**

Pinekit—reddish-brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

**Elders:**

Halfheart—white she-cat w/ one green eye &amp; one blue eye

Fireblaze—dark ginger tabby tom w/ amber eyes

* * *

**PACK**

Ink—black &amp; white tom w/ golden eyes (formerly of WaterfallClan)

Chip—black &amp; silver German Shepard male w/ amber eyes

Sally—soft brown Labrador Retriever female w/ amber eyes

Marmalade—long-haired rowan Finnish Spitz male w/ amber eyes

Frost—small, long-haired white West Highland White Terrier female w/ blue eyes

Tank—mottled golden-brown Boxer male w/ amber eyes, a white chest &amp; underbelly

Jonas—gray &amp; white Siberian Husky male w/ amber eyes

Cherry—black Flat-Coated Retriever female w/ amber eyes

Russet—ginger Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever female w/ amber eyes

Spot—black &amp; white Dalmatian female w/ amber eyes

Mark—brown, white and black Beagle male w/ amber eyes


	2. Prologue

**Here we go; the final story in _The Forbidden_ trilogy! I want to thank everyone for viewing my stories, it means so much! :D**

**Enjoy!**

**Warriors © Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans © Me**

* * *

A pale gray tabby tom sat down in a clearing and stared at the prattling creek that lay at his paws. The clear water failed to conceal the tiny minnows that darted around and the cat was tempted to snag one unlucky fish for a small meal. But this creek was not meant for feasting; it was meant for much greater things.

Wind suddenly picked its pace and it swayed the mighty oaks high above the tom. The branches swayed in an interpretive dance like formation as the rustling grew louder and louder.

Someone was coming.

The wind abruptly died down when several cats entered the clearing. One was a cream-colored she-cat with green eyes. Another was a dark gray tom with amber eyes, a dark ginger tabby tom, and a mottled dark ginger tom. Lastly, there was a much younger dark ginger tom and pitch black tom with sharp green eyes. All six cats made their way towards the tom by the creek.

"Greetings, Quailfeather," the she-cat greeted and dipped her head.

Quailfeather dipped his head at the older she-cat. "Greetings, Honeywhisker. I suppose you are here to discuss the news I've recently discovered?"

"That is why I gathered them here," Honeywhisker agreed.

Quailfeather nodded and motioned for the crowd to gather around him. "For the past several sunrises, I've studied the creek. We all know that it is the source of prophecies and omens, but we do not know where those come from."

"Do you think that there's a higher deity?" the smokey gray tom inquisitively asked.

Quailfeather turned towards the mottled ginger tom to his right. "What do you think, Flamescorch?"

The former medicine cat thought for a moment. "I've often thought about it before, and we've talked about it with the other medicine cats, but for now the answer is a no, Ashwhisker. There is no real proof of a higher deity."

"So…what's the big _secret_ you've been meaning to tell us, Quailfeather?" the younger ginger tom snapped.

Quailfeather flicked his ears at his son's rude behavior, but he didn't mention on it. "I've seen terrible visions in the creek lately; they were filled with an immense heat so powerful that I swore I felt its heat on my whiskers. It only lasted a few heartbeats, before it disappeared."

"So…a fire?" another dark ginger tom asked.

"Not exactly, we think, Redstar," Quailfeather explained. "I think it's something else."

"Like what?" the black tom asked.

"It's more like a warning, Blackfrost," the former medicine cat went on. "And I have a feeling for the cat it is referring to."

There was a slight pause before Honeywhisker spoke up. "His reign would be so short, but he will undoubtedly follow the same path his former selves did."

"Is there anything we can do to prevent it? His Clan doesn't deserve to lose him so soon," Ashwhisker sympathized.

"No, it's not fair, but it's the cycle we all went through," Quailfeather spoke quietly. "No cat can live forever, especially not a cat of his power and might. His journey is over and he will return when we need him again."

Ashwhisker slowly nodded.

"I will send the omen immediately," Quailfeather meowed off topic.

"Do you know who you will send it to?" Redstar asked.

The starred cat nodded. "I trust in her abilities," Quailfeather commented. "The Clan must be warned as soon as possible. Who knows that kind of storm we are about to face."


	3. Chapter 1

_Smoke filled her lungs once more as she frantically ran towards the nursery, and she once again let out harsh coughs that joined with the chorus of many others. The bright wisps of flame blinded her vision and her pads burned from the hot dirt. A sudden 'watch out!' froze the young she-cat in her tracks as she nearly ran into a fallen blazing tree branch. The force of the fall casted aside free floating embers that singed her long whiskers. Quickly dashing around it, the pale speckled golden she-cat nimbly made her way into the nursery. The small tree stump was covered in ash and cinders, but the untamed flames hadn't victimized it yet. The mews of a kit emanated from the stump, fright soaking the worried cries. Locating the source of fragile mewls, she stretched out her neck into the burrow and grasped the scruff of a young mewling kit. The kit tucked in its paws and tail towards its belly and its frighten mewls filled the thick and ashy air. The she-cat was about to make a mad dash for the camp entrance when the a flaming tree fell right in front of her, is tongues of fire nearly beckoning her to come closer, and blocking the only safe way out of the camp._

_ She heard the wild and frantic calls of her Clanmates beyond the camp walls and she willed to cal back, but she didn't want to risk the kit in her jaws becoming prey to tricky flames. She scanned madly at the dark sky above her, wanting to yowl to her ancestors why they had forsaken her to become a victim of the blaze, but the stars were blocked by thick blankets of smoke. _

_ A sharp paw prodded her side. She looked around, expecting to see a nervous Clanmate besides her, but there was none. Her flank was prodded again, and the young she-cat once more looked around, but found no cat near her. The next poke was harder and the apprentice blinked open her eyes_ and was surprised to find herself in the medicine cats' den with a very angry-looking mentor glaring at her.

"What are you, a deaf minnow, Whiskerpaw?" the aggravated black tabby tom snapped, his green eyes blazing like the crimson flames in her dream. "I've been prodding you for a quarter moon now! You know we have things to do today!"

"Sorry, Mintshard!" Whiskerpaw groveled. "It was…just a very pleasant dream."

It was actually the opposite. Whiskerpaw had never seen anything more horrifying in her entire young life. Mintshard gave her an odd look, as if he didn't quite believe her story, but merely shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, now that you're up, go bring the elders some fresh-kill. The apprentices should've caught something appetizing by now."

"Yes, Mintshard," Whiskerpaw complied. She waited until her ticked-off mentor disappeared into their storage area to count their supplies before she sighed. She may appreciate everything her mentor has done for her, but he could still have his moments like an emotional young she-cat.

Deciding not to anger her mentor any further than she already has, Whiskerpaw gingerly got to her paws, being mindful of her stiff right leg, and made her way out of the burrow. She faintly remembered how she received the injury; an attack with a dog pack. The most peculiar thing about the pack was that it was currently being led by a _cat_ who _used_ to be from _WaterfallClan_. She only knew a little about the incident and she didn't have the guts to ask her parents in case they snap at her to be mindful of her business like last time she asked.

_ "It doesn't matter anymore, Whiskerpaw," her father had told her. "What matters now is that_ _the dogs will never harm you or any other cat ever again."_

But why did they attack?_ Whiskerpaw had wanted to ask, but the glare from her father made_ _her shut her mouth._

Rustpaw and Leafpaw, the Clan's two apprentices, sat by the fresh-kill pile and were arguing over something minnow-brained by the time Whiskerpaw approached them.

"No way, Rustpaw!" the pale brown tabby she-cat insisted as her brother noisily chomped on a piece of pike. "I can eat _way_ faster than you can!"

"Yeah, right," Rustpaw snickered after he swallowed his bite. "Every cat knows that she-cats only eat _modestly_."

"Nuh uh!" Leafpaw growled at her brother's sneer. She reached over to the fresh-kill pile and pulled out a fat trout. She then attempted to savagely dig into the fresh-kill with her teeth, scampering down small bites in between her tearing.

"Hey, no fair!" Rustpaw argued. He then proceeded to rip a hunk of flesh from his own meal. "You got a head start," he growled with his mouth full.

It wasn't until a few more devours did some other cat take notice. "Rustpaw and Leafpaw!" a sharp voice snapped and froze the two apprentices in their tracks. A white tom with an odd black marking over his right eye marched up to the two apprentices with his white tail lashing angrily behind him. "Do you know how long it took to catch those two pieces of fresh-kill? You know that it's almost the end the leaf-fall and prey will soon be getting scarcer and scarcer."

"You have no right to scold us, Privetdrop!" Rustpaw growled, showing off his fierce attitude he inherited from his mother. "You've been a warrior for how long? Over twenty-four moons?"

"I'm old enough to have some common sense!" Privetdrop snarled. "And look how you treated that prey, both of you! Have you got no respect for living creature that died so you may live?"

"Oh, now he's talking the _warrior code _to us," Rustpaw sneered and rolled his green eyes. "Please, bore us more with your talks of what's right and what's wrong."

Privetdrop was about to retort when Ryeleaf, their father, barged into the argument. "Rustpaw and Leafpaw, show some respect to Privetdrop! He's much older than you and clearly knows how to be a warrior."

"But Rustpaw said that only she-cats ate modestly," Leafpaw argued.

"_Every cat_ is supposed to eat modestly," Ryeleaf growled. "Rustpaw, stop being so judgmental. Leafpaw, stop believing everything your brother says. And both of you will apologize to Privetdrop at once."

Rustpaw was about to retort, but Ryeleaf silenced him with a stern glance. Casting a glance at his sister, Rustpaw sighed. "We're sorry, Privetdrop. You're a great warrior and all."

"Yeah, we're sorry. We should've been grateful for you offering your advice," Leafpaw somberly replied.

Privetdrop merely nodded, awkwardly accepting the forced apology, but he knew that it wasn't going to get any better.

Ryeleaf, seeming pleased, flicked his tail at the half-eaten carcasses at his kits' paws. "Now, I expect you both to finish your prey. That must be gone before you have anything else."

Knowing that there was no disagreeing with him, both kits obediently nodded.

"And I'll have a word with your mentors and Moonshadow on your punishment," Ryeleaf added. "Perhaps even Goldenstar."

"Not Goldenstar!" Leafpaw exclaimed with wide green eyes.

"If he finds out then he'll delay our warrior ceremony!" Rustpaw insisted.

"I'm not saying that he will, but he should know what you've done," Ryeleaf replied. "What happens now is up to him and Moonshadow. Now, finish your prey before you have to go training." He glanced at Whiskerpaw, who had been sitting there for quite some time. "Whiskerpaw, you've been sitting there for a while; pick something and run along."

Whiskerpaw, finally settling on a two nice-sized trout, left the incident with the two fish in her jaws towards the elders' den. The elders' den was a hollow tree on its side with sturdy reeds for support. Visiting the elders' den was always a pleasure, in Whiskerpaw's point of view. She remembered how she and her older siblings used to visit the elders' den every single sunrise when they were kits. She adored Stripedwhisker's tales about the old territory the Clans used to live. The dark brown tabby elder loved to tell ancient battle stories, such as the Great Battle between the old Clans and a group of corrupt cats named SavageClan, and the final siege several moons ago on top of the cliffs. Whiskerpaw's favorite story were the simple stories of her parents and the minnow-brained things they would do as apprentices, such as the timer her father put thistles in his older brother's nest after a heated argument. According to Stripedwhisker, her father was ordered to clean the elders' den for an entire moon!

"Ah, here's our favorite apprentice!" Stripedwhisker purred as Whiskerpaw entered the cozy den. The dark brown tabby tom licked his chops at the sight of the fresh-kill.

"Because she doesn't complain like the other ones," Steelclaw grumbled, his nose twitching to locate where Whiskerpaw was. Despite Steelclaw's harsh tongue, Whiskerpaw had sympathies for gray tabby tom due to his blind eyes. It wasn't his fault that the fox who attacked him severely injured his eyes, marking the end of his warrior status. "Those two do nothing but bicker or make a stupid game out of everything while they're doing their duties."

"All apprentices do that, Steelclaw," Stripedwhisker insisted.

"Yeah, but not all apprentices _whine_ as much as those two!" Steelclaw sniffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if Rumblestar himself walked into camp to complain about how loud those two are."

"I'm afraid Rumblestar's too frail to walk all the way to our camp these days," Stripedwhisker recalled. "It's enough of a trek to make it to the Gatherings let alone another Clan's camp."

"At least that rogue and his kits he invited into the Clan a couple of seasons ago are actually obeying the borders, unlike previous ones," Steelclaw grumbled. "That's perhaps the only good thing he's done."

"How are you doing, Tinyspirit?" Whiskerpaw interrupted the elder's rant. Knowing Stripedwhisker and Steelclaw, those two could go on for sunrises about the gossip of the Clans. At least they keep Tinyspirit company.

The tortoiseshell tabby she-cat gingerly lifted her head off of her bracken nest. "I'm doing just fine, Whiskerpaw," the eldest she-cat replied. "My joints are just stiff as usual."

"I'll have Mintshard give you some more daisy leaves and ragwort for that," Whiskerpaw replied. She grabbed one of the trout and laid it in front of her. "Here you go; fresh from the pile!"

"Thanks, Whiskerpaw," Tinyspirit softly mewed and took a small bite from the fish.

Sensing that the elders were just fine, Whiskerpaw left the log and simply sat outside the den, relishing the warmth of the sun on her thin pelt. She knew it wouldn't be long until the cold settled in and prey and herbs will be harder to come by. She decided to simply sit and watch as Clan life pass by before returning to Mintshard.

Rustpaw and Leafpaw were rolling wads of dirty moss from the nursery, presumably their punishment for disobeying the warrior code. Their mentors, Moonshine and Nightstrike, sat not far with their impatient tails twitching. Clearly they were not pleased that their apprentices were forced to waste precious training time fulfilling their punishment.

Dustberry sat outside the nursery with her two kits born six moons ago, Cragkit—a ginger tabby she-kit, and Adderkit—a dark brown tabby she-kit. The two kits were the daughters of Cliffjumper, but the proud and arrogant tom preferred to do nothing in relation to his kits or his former mate. The said tom was discussing something with Cedarstep, Privetdrop, Auburnwhisker and Shadowclaw outside the warriors' den.

Ryeleaf and Leopardnose were finishing up the remains of a carp not far from Stonecleft. Stalkshine and Tallstalk were sharing tongues and so were Whiskerpaw's other siblings, Springfox and Fallsriver not far as well.

Otterwhisker's border patrol arrived into camp and she had Mousethorn, Reedleg, Moonshadow and Whiskerpaw's other brother, Quailheart, with her.

Goldenstar and Leapingriver were discussing something underneath the Stonecleft. Otterwhisker approached them, presumably with the reports from the border patrol. The three shared a few words before Otterwhisker dipped her head and made her way with the rest of the patrol for the fresh-kill pile for something to eat.

Seeing her Clanmates perform their daily activities, she couldn't help but remember her nightmare she had. She could see it so perfectly in her mind; the startling image of the camp on fire struck her heart sharply. But the risk of a fire in the camp was unlikely, there was a surplus of moisture everywhere, and her father ordered moonly escape drills for the entire Clan in case there was a need for an evacuation.

Still, the haunting image of her dream continued to worry her. What if there was a fire of that severity in the camp? Of course, StarClan wouldn't let that happen to them…right? She decided to ask her mentor, just in case.

Whiskerpaw found the said tom in the storage area in the medicine cats' den with his muzzle buried into a storage hole.

"Mintshard…StarClan wouldn't let a fire occur in our camp…right?" Whiskerpaw asked.

Mintshard snorted, blowing out several leaves of marigold in the process, and swiftly removed his muzzle from the hole. "Of course not, Whiskerpaw. What would make you think something like that?" he asked as he scraped the marigold back into the hole with his claws.

"Just…curious," Whiskerpaw nonchalantly replied. "I'm just saying…hypothetically."

Mintshard rolled his eyes. "Hypothetically, we would be prepared in case there was a fire. Also, it's nearly time for another drill. Hurray." The medicine cat snorted. "Plus, it's been raining a lot and that helps keep the ground and trees moist, so it's unlikely that a fire would happen. But, if it helps, I'll alert Goldenstar about a fire threat anyway."

"Thank you, Mintshard," Whiskerpaw gratefully thanked.

"You can thank me by checking the marigold supply," Mintshard snapped gently. "Take someone with you and you might as well check on the feverfew and coltsfoot while you're at it."

"Will do," Whiskerpaw replied and made her way out of the den beneath the tree roots. Still, Mintshard's reassurance didn't quite satisfy her worries. What if Mintshard was wrong and what happened in her dreams really did happen?


	4. Chapter 2

**The good thing about being sick is that you can spend the day typing! :D**

**Warriors © Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans © ME**

* * *

After leaving the medicine cats' den, Whiskerpaw sought out a cat that wasn't too busy to assist her with herb gathering. Her sister, Fallsriver, emerged from the warriors' den and Whiskerpaw happily trotted towards her.

"Hey, Fallsriver," Whiskerpaw called as she neared her littermate. "Mintshard wants me to go gather some herbs and he wants me to bring some cat. Care to join me?"

Fallsriver's green eyes happily lit up. "Of course, Whiskerpaw!" The two littermates made their way towards the entrance of the camp. "Gosh, it seems like _moons_ since we last chatted."

"It sure has," Whiskerpaw agreed. The two left the camp and Whiskerpaw led on the familiar path towards the river.

"So…" Fallsriver meowed, thinking about something to talk about. "How's training going?"

"Pretty good," Whiskerpaw responded, carefully maneuvering over a large tree root. "Mintshard's a great mentor."

"I heard his tongue is worse than his bite."

"Hah, yeah…but he doesn't mean half the stuff he yaps about," Whiskerpaw purred. She missed conversing with her family and they rarely got to because of their busy and diverse schedules; while she would be stuck doing medicine cat chores, the rest of her family would be busy doing warrior stuff.

"Do you sometimes wish that you could be a warrior?" Fallsriver suddenly asked, as if she were reading her sister's mind.

Whiskerpaw pondered on that thought for a heartbeat before replying. "Some days I do, but there would be no way I could with this injury." She lifted her stiff right front paw. Due to the injury to her shoulder, Whiskerpaw's paw never fully healed correctly and it became stiff at the shoulder joint, making it hard to do anything that had to do with said paw. She often wobbled whenever she walked and had to use her other paw for the majority of the time. Seeing that she would have a hard time training to become a warrior, her parents and Mintshard agreed that she would train to become a medicine cat instead. Whiskerpaw was, in a way, forced to go down the path she was now on because of her injury. Whenever she brought up her dislike for her fate to another cat, they would often remind her of her father and his awry paw.

_But at least my father can still hunt and fight like normal cats! I would give anything to become a warrior like the rest of my family!_

"But I know that I have no other choice." Whiskerpaw ended with that statement.

"It's such a shame, really," Fallsriver went on. "I sometimes think about the times we all could've had with you as a warrior. Training would've been so much fun; Springfox was always a show off and Quailheart was always too quiet. But, being a medicine cat is important, too!"

"Thanks for your support," Whiskerpaw mumbled sarcastically.

"How much longer until you get your medicine cat name?" Fallsriver asked, completely unaware of Whiskerpaw's previous statement.

"I'm not sure," Whiskerpaw replied. "I haven't asked."

"Well, I think _you_ deserve it!" Fallsriver cheerfully replied. "Mintshard's a minnow-brain for now giving you your name yet."

"I suppose I'll get it when he feels like I've earned it," Whiskerpaw suggested. She shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess we'll have to see how long that takes."

"Oh, hey! Did you hear that argument Rustpaw and Leafpaw had earlier this morning?" Fallsriver suddenly asked, moving on to another topic that peeked her interest.

"Yeah."

"Privetdrop was right to chastise them," Fallsriver went on, failing to notice her sister's lack of interest. "Those two can be a real pain in the tail. Privetdrop was so brave to snap at them; those two deserved it! It's Privetdrop just so amazing?"  
"Wasn't he your mentor or something?"

"He was! He was such a great mentor, probably because our father taught him a lot! Privetdrop knows _so_ much and he even made the journey here!"

"So did a lot of other cats."

"Yeah, but he did it as a _kit_ with his littermates! Imagine how tough the journey was for him."

"It must've been pretty hard."

"Exactly! It's hard to believe that Moonshadow's his father. I mean, Moonshadow's our deputy and all, but he's still pretty obnoxious."

_I could tell you who else is being 'pretty obnoxious' right now._

"Do you think Privetdrop likes me?"

"Who knows what goes in a tom's mind."

"We've been spending a lot of time together lately and he's a great friend."

"So the whole Clan's noticed."

"Really?"

"If the elders are gossiping about it, then every cat knows about it."

"Wow! Now I only wonder if Privetdrop returns my feelings…"

Whiskerpaw suppressed a groan. She may love her sister, but that doesn't mean that she has to like her constant gossip! She was grateful when they reached the marigold patch by the river and she made her sister carry a bundle of marigold flowers so she couldn't chatter like a finch. After a quick check on the feverfew and coltsfoot plants for continued growth, Whiskerpaw and Fallsriver made their way towards camp.

"Thanks for assisting me, Fallsriver!" Whiskerpaw cheerfully meowed once they brought the collected herbs in the medicine cats' den.

"No problem, Whiskerpaw," the brown tabby and white she-cat happily purred. She gently rested her tail on Whiskerpaw's slim shoulder for a heartbeat. "We should hang out more often!" With that statement, the young warrior left the den.

"Did you fetch the marigold, Whiskerpaw?" Mintshard asked as he appeared from the storage area of the den.

"Yes and there's still plenty left at the patch," Whiskerpaw replied as she passed the marigold to him.

"Excellent," Mintshard meowed approvingly as he sniffed the marigold. "How were the feverfew and coltsfoot patches?"

"Still growing."

"Good," Mintshard nodded. "Soon we'll have to collect them, but not all at once. We still need them to be fresh so they can last leaf-bare. It won't be long now until the snow starts to fall, but we still got another moon before that." He began to pad towards the entrance. "I'm going to fetch something to eat. Do you want anything?"

"Something would be nice," Whiskerpaw replied. After her mentor left, she picked up the marigold and waddled towards the storage area behind the thick roots of the tree above her. Scrapping off fronds of dried reeds and ferns, she placed the flowers in the whole with a bunch of dried petals. By the time she replaced the reeds and ferns, Mintshard was back with two squirrels in his jaws.

"A couple of warriors finally made themselves useful and actually caught something edible," Mintshard remarked after he set the squirrels down. "And I thought hedgehogs would fly before then." He took a bite out of the prey and noticed that Whiskerpaw hadn't touched hers yet. "Is there something bothering you?"

"Fallsriver brought it up," Whiskerpaw grumbled.

"Ah, the 'it's a shame you are a medicine cat' and such, right?" Mintshard knowingly suggested. "You better get used to it because it will never go away. Cats will always bring that subject up. We could be warriors like everyone else, but our kind is required in a Clan."

"But…it always bothers me how I was kind of forced to become a medicine cat," Whiskerpaw objected. "If it weren't for my injury, we wouldn't be having his conversation."

"If it weren't for your injury, I wouldn't have the pleasure in teaching you," Mintshard snapped, but his voice then turned softer. "I believe that it was always your destiny to become my apprentice, Whiskerpaw, and, I hate to admit it thought, but I enjoyed teaching you. It makes these long days seem shorter when you have someone to talk to and share your feelings with. On the subject of littermates, my sisters said the same thing when I first became Quailfeather's apprentice. The words hurt, but just know that the Clan would be nothing without a medicine cat."

"But you weren't forced to become one," Whiskerpaw pointed out. Though she was touched by her mentor's surprisingly soft words, she still felt as if she had no other choice but to follow this path.

Mintshard sighed. "I'll let you in on a little secret that few cats know of," he began. "I kind of felt like I was forced to become a medicine cat, too."

"Really?" Whiskerpaw asked, astonished at her mentor's confession. She had always thought that Mintshard chose to become a medicine cat.

"Really. I had been training with my mentor, a tom named Wingflight, for about a moon. I wasn't the best apprentice; my crouches were always sloppy and I always lost when we practice fighting with the other apprentices. I only caught a few pieces of prey in that entire moon while my sisters caught tons. I felt like Wingflight was wasting his time trying to teach me anything and I could tell he didn't like training me from his expressions. Even my parents tried talking with him, but it was no use. No matter what he tried, I just couldn't be a warrior. I wasn't getting the moves correctly and my attitude turned sour because of that.

"During that time, I was on a border patrol with my mentor a few other cats when we were ambushed by PineClan, RowanClan now. I was unable to defend myself and was quickly ganged up by a few other apprentices. We lost the fight and Wingflight brought me to Quailfeather. He fixed my wounds and told everyone that I had to stay in the medicine cat's den for a few days to recover. Over the course of the next few sunrises, I observed him treat other cats and was flabbergasted to know that I memorized every herb he used and their treatments.

"Quailfeather was pleased of my knowledge and insisted that I become his apprentice. I denied saying that I wanted to become a warrior like the rest of my family. After considering his offer and recounting the previous moon a few sunrises later, I finally accepted his offer and became his apprentice. It turns out that I was much better at healing than I was at fighting, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I had no choice but to become his apprentice

"When Quailfeather died a few moons later, I was still an apprentice with the suffix –paw. But if it weren't for my failed warrior training, then WaterfallClan wouldn't have a medicine cat. So you see Whiskerpaw, sometimes we have no choice but to accept our destinies. Of course, this doesn't mean that we can't complain about it, either!"

* * *

Whiskerpaw found it hard to sleep that night; her mind was full of Mintshard's confession and the nightmare from the previous night. She decided that a nice night stroll would put her to sleep. Careful not to awake her slumbering mentor, Whiskerpaw left the den and breathed in the crisp cold air. Mintshard was right; it wasn't long until leaf-bare arrived with its chilly weather.

"Greetings, Whiskerpaw." A chilly voice as cold as ice spoke behind her. Whiskerpaw whirled around and found herself face-to-face with a pale gray tabby tom with bright green eyes as sharp as mint.

"You're Quailfeather, aren't you?" Whiskerpaw asked once she found her voice. She recognized the tabby tom from her dreams as a kit.

"So you remember me," Quailfeather purred. "That's good."

"Am…am I dreaming?" Whiskerpaw dared to ask as she looked around at the camp. It seemed realistic enough to be real.

"Indeed, and I have a message for you from StarClan," Quailfeather meowed.

"Uh, shouldn't Mintshard be receiving his dream instead of me?" Whiskerpaw couldn't help but question.

"As much as I would've liked to visit my former apprentice, this message is for you to hear," Quailfeather responded. He flicked his tail and suddenly the camp was lit with fire much like her previous dream. The deadly tongues danced in the night as they torched the camp and tried to lick the sky.

"D-Did you send that dream last night?" Whiskerpaw demanded. She knew that this was a dream and that the flames weren't real, but the image still haunted her.

"All dreams come from StarClan," Quailfeather simply replied before vanishing in the shadows, leaving only his scent and voice behind.

"Wait, come back! Quailfeather!" Whiskerpaw yowled. She glanced back and saw the flames advance towards her. She couldn't help but succumb to her fear and retreat backwards towards the camp entrance.

She heard Quailfeather's chilly voice before the blaze engulfed her.

_The flames of darkness will destroy the forest to its roots, leaving nothing but a fire for the future. Nothing you can do can stop this blaze as heroes fall and enemies rise…_


	5. Chapter 3

**Whoo, another chapter! :D**

**Warriors © Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans © Me**

* * *

"Heroes will fall an enemies will rise?" Mintshard echoed.

Whiskerpaw nodded numbly. She had told her mentor all about her dream from the previous night, about how Quailfeather appeared and about the ominous prophecy she had received. She gazed at her mentor's puzzled expression before he got to his paws. "We better let Goldenstar and Moonshadow know."

With an obedient nod, Whiskerpaw followed her mentor out of their burrow. It was just a little after dawn and cats were gathering in the clearing, waiting for Moonshadow, who sat underneath the Stonecleft, to organize the day's patrols.

"Cliffjumper, take Tallstalk, Moonshine and Rustpaw and check the RowanClan border," Moonshadow ordered. "Leopardnose, take Shadowclaw and Quailheart to renew the MeadowClan border. Otterwhisker, lead Nightstrike, Leafpaw and Mousethorn on a hunting patrol in the river. Leapingriver, lead another with Privetdrop, Stalkshine and Fallsriver and try to find some prey in the forest."

By now, the dawn patrol, consisting of Meltingice, Auburnwhisker, Reedleg and Springfox, padded into camp towards the gathering cats.

Moonshadow's ears flicked when he saw returning dawn patrol. "Anything to report, Meltingice?"

"We detected RowanClan scents drifting towards our side of the border," Meltingice reported as Springfox flexed his claws. "We didn't see any signs of them crossing the border, but their scent was strong."

Moonshadow nodded. "Cliffjumper, make sure you and your patrol are careful when you patrol later today."

"Will do, Moonshadow," the dark ginger tabby tom nodded.

"The evening patrol will consist of me, Privetdrop and Quailheart. Ryeleaf, you will lead us," Moonshadow commanded. "That is all for now."

As the cats left to do their own thing, Whiskerpaw whispered to Mintshard. "Is Moonshine expecting kits?" She couldn't help but notice that the dark gray tabby she-cat was looking quite plump.

Mintshard glanced at the she-cat, who was sharing tongues with Tallstalk. "Perhaps. We won't know for certain until she comes to us or her kits grow. It's best not to approach a she-cat and ask if they are expecting until you are absolutely positive. You know how cranky expecting she-cats can be."

Whiskerpaw nodded, remembering how crabby Dustberry was when she was expecting Cliffjumper's kits six moons ago. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement; if Moonshine was expecting, then it would be her first time helping a she-cat give birth! She was still recovering from her injuries when Dustberry gave birth moons ago.

But she couldn't help but feel a ping of worry as well; if her prophecy was true, then her unborn kits could be in danger! Perhaps she should warn her?

By the time Whiskerpaw finished her thoughts, she and Mintshard were already at the leader's den at the top of Stonecleft. They waited outside the cave before hearing a quiet and calm "enter" and walking into the cave. The stone beneath Whiskerpaw's pads felt cool to the touch and in the faint light she could make out her father grooming his face on his nest.

"What can I do for you, Mintshard and Whiskerpaw?" Goldenstar asked after drawing his awry paw over his right ear.

"Whiskerpaw had a dream last night from Quailfeather," Mintshard explained, which gained Goldenstar's immediate attention when the former medicine cat's name was mentioned, "along with a prophecy. 'The flames of darkness will destroy the forest to its roots, leaving nothing but a fire for the future. Nothing you can do can stop this blaze as heroes fall and enemies rise.'"

Goldenstar paused for a moment, as if he were in deep thought. "What do you think it means?" he asked after a few heartbeats of silence.

"I believe it's a warning of a fire," Mintshard explained. "Whiskerpaw's also been having dreams of a blaze destroying the camp lately."

The golden tabby tom nodded in agreement. "That's what I think, too…but the prophecy does sound ominous. Did Quailfeather mention anything else important to you, Whiskerpaw?" The Clan leader turned his attention from his medicine to his youngest daughter.

Whiskerpaw shook her head. "Not that I can recall."

"Then it's settled," Goldenstar replied. "I'll let Moonshadow know and we'll have our emergency fire escape route training soon. That way, we'll be ready when this blaze comes."

"I think there's something more to this prophecy, though," Whiskerpaw suddenly brought up. "I believe StarClan wouldn't just send a prophecy if there was a threat of a fire."

"Then else do you think the prophecy means?" Goldenstar asked.

"A potential danger perhaps," Whiskerpaw explained. "The part when it says, 'heroes fall and enemies rise' sounds as if something is coming."

"Another danger?" Goldenstar abruptly asked. He sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "It seems that the Clans can never have peace for too long."

"It comes with the life of a warrior," Mintshard added.

"Keep me updated when you find out new information," Goldenstar ordered. He dismissed them with a wave of his shortened tail. "Also…don't say anything about this to our Clanmates. We shouldn't worry them with so little information."

"Understood, Goldenstar," Mintshard agreed. He gently ushered Whiskerpaw out of the leader's den with his tail. He could sense his apprentice's displeasure. "Trust your father's judgment; he knows what he's doing."

"It just sounds like there's so much more to this prophecy than anyone is considering," Whiskerpaw explained as they walked down the stones.

"Perhaps StarClan will send you more dreams tonight," Mintshard suggested.

Whiskerpaw shook her head. "I wonder if I'll ever get a peaceful sleep."

"Hey, Whiskerpaw!" Quailheart called over from the small stream that flowed through the camp before Mintshard could reply. "Can you come over here for a quick second?"

The medicine cat apprentice looked expectantly at her mentor, who merely nodded, before trotting to her brother. Quailheart was sitting next to Springfox, who was licking his paw.

"Springfox is injured," he tattled to his sister.

"No I'm not," Springfox snapped before licking his paw once more. "I just tore a claw out."

"And you have wounds on your shoulders," Quailheart insisted. "What happened on your patrol?"

"I got caught in a thistle patch, alright?" Springfox grumbled.

"Let me see your paw," Whiskerpaw demanded. Her eldest brother muttered something under his breath before showing Whiskerpaw his left paw. A claw was missing and blood was slowly dripping out where said claw used to be. It looked painful, but Springfox was showing no sign of emotion. "I'll fetch some cobwebs and marigold for that and for your wounds as well." She sniffed the fresh wounds on his shoulders. "Any cat would've thought that you were fighting someone."

"I wasn't fighting someone," Springfox insisted.

"Then where did they come from?" Quailheart pressed. "They look more like claw wounds than thistle marks."

"What, are you now a medicine cat or something?" Springfox snapped.

Whiskerpaw flinched physically. Out of all her siblings, Springfox was the least supportive of her decision to train under Mintshard. His excuse was that Whiskerpaw could still hunt and fight like a normal cat, but in her own way. Perhaps he saw a medicine cat not fully a warrior or was it just his pride getting in the way of his mind? Whiskerpaw knew her brother was a prideful tom, his suffix –fox was earned because he fought off a fox that tried to eat Cragkit when she wandered away from the camp.

"Just talk, Springfox," Quailheart snapped. Unlike his brother, Quailheart fully supported Whiskerpaw's career choice. The sympathetic tom was always kind to everyone and rarely raised his voice unless he meant it.

"Fine," the brown tabby tom growled. "I woke up with these wounds, alright?"

"How is that possible?" Whiskerpaw asked.

"I'm not sure," Springfox uneasily replied. "I swear I was asleep all night."

"Well, let me fetch some supplies," Whiskerpaw meowed. "We'll worry about this later." She left with that and immediately returned to the medicine cats' den. Mintshard wasn't inside so she padded towards the storage area in the back. She was surprised to hear scuffling noises coming from the area.

"Mintshard? I thought you weren't here?" Whiskerpaw called as she neared the entrance behind a tree root. "Springfox has some minor wounds, so I was going to—" She paused when she saw a ginger tabby she-cat with her head buried into a small storage hole. A dark brown tabby she-cat was next to her with her tail tapping impatiently.

"What are you two doing?" Whiskerpaw snapped, surprised to see the Clan's youngest members messing with her herbs.

"Cragkit and Dustberry have a tummy ache," Adderkit replied nonchalantly, as if that answered everything.

Cragkit removed her head from the hole with yellow petals hanging out of her mouth. She chewed on them nosily. "Are you sure these are going to heal my tummy ache, Adderkit?"

"Cragkit, spit those out now!" Whiskerpaw growled, yanking the kit back by her scruff.

"Why?" Cragkit moaned, already swallowing the petals.

"What did you eat?" Whiskerpaw questioned, sniffing the hole. The entire marigold supply she had collected yesterday with Fallsriver was gone or damaged by the kit's clumsy paws. "You clumsy kit! I just gathered those yesterday!"

"Sorry…" Cragkit whimpered, crouching down and moaning. "Now my tummy hurts even more!"

Biting back a sigh, Whiskerpaw picked a few leaves from a different storage hole and gave them to Cragkit. "Eat these. They will heal your belly."

Cragkit obediently licked the leaves up and groaned. "But it hurts even more now!" A heartbeat later, she vomited the contents of her stomach onto an ivy leaf Whiskerpaw had placed down in front of her.

"Good," Whiskerpaw meowed after sniffing the vomit. "I'll give you some watermint to ease your bellyache." She laid a few bright green leaves in front of Cragkit.

Cragkit shook her head. "No, the last herbs made me feel worse!"

"But you feel better now, don't you?"

The ginger tabby thought for a moment. "Yeah…I guess…" She then bent down to lick the leaves up.

"I'll stop by to give Dustberry some," Whiskerpaw meowed before leading the two kits out of the den. Mintshard was outside and was shocked to see the two kits inside their den.

"What are they doing here?" Mintshard demanded.

"They were trying to find something to ease their bellyache and Cragkit both destroyed and eaten our marigold supply," Whiskerpaw explained.

"How could you?" Mintshard snapped at the two kits. "They were just gathered yesterday!"

"Can't you just gather some more?" Adderkit asked. "I mean, they are plants."

"Plants stop growing in leaf-bare," Mintshard hissed. "And it's leaf-fall, and that means we have to stock up our supplies for the coming winter. What if that was all that we had left of marigold? What if there's a battle and cats are injured? How can we properly treat their wounds without this vital herb?"

"W-We're sorry, Mintshard," Cragkit whimpered.

"What's going on here, Mintshard?" Cliffjumper asked as he approached with Moonshadow at his side, the former of them returning from their border patrol.

"Your kits just destroyed all of our marigold supply!" Mintshard hissed.

Cliffjumper flicked his right ear. "It's not my fault that Dustberry can't keep a proper eye on them."

"Dustberry's having a bellyache," Whiskerpaw explained. "The kits were trying to help."

"So why don't you step up and behave like a proper father-figure to your kits?" Mintshard snapped and took a few pawsteps forward to the dark ginger tabby tom.

Cliffjumper growled dangerously. "Don't tell me how to act, Mintshard. Your job is to heal us, not to tell us out to act."

"It doesn't help if you aren't teaching your kits not to eat our supply!" Mintshard snarled, his black tabby fur rising. "What if that was all that we had left? It's obvious that we can't go through a battle without minnow-brained warriors getting themselves injured."

Cliffjumper took a pawstep forward so that his nose almost touched Mintshard's. "Watch it, medicine cat."

"Easy, you two," Moonshadow gently growled, sensing the rising tension between the two toms. "There's no need to get into a fight."

"Only if this cat can't keep his trap shut," Cliffjumper insisted, not looking away from Mintshard's eyes.

"Only if said cat is speaking the truth."

The older warrior hissed and raked his thorn-sharp claws against Mintshard's neck. The medicine cat reeled away from the blow and was unprepared as Cliffjumper launched himself at the younger tom. Letting his rage fuel his attacks, Cliffjumper continued to injure his medicine cat. Mintshard, struggling to recover from each attack, was unable to defend himself.

"Cliffjumper, stop!" Moonshadow ordered. He managed to grab a hold of the raging warrior's scruff and yank him off of Mintshard's wounded body. Tallstalk and Auburnwhisker raced to help the deputy shove Cliffjumper away from Mintshard.

Mintshard was lying on his flank, deep claw wounds laced around his body with a severe wound on his neck. Cragkit and Adderkit were whimpering after they witnessed the brutal attack from their father.

Whiskerpaw, however, was completely quiet, frozen in place. Time seemed to have slowed down when her mentor was attacked and she couldn't remove her gaze from his bleeding body.

"Mintshard!" Dustberry's sharp call was heard from Whiskerpaw's right and the dark gray tabby she-cat pressed her muzzle against his neck fur. More cats continued to gather around the medicine cat, staring in horror and unsure of what to do.

"Whiskerpaw, do something!" Moonshadow snapped, his amber eyes blazing for what his Clanmate had done.

Whiskerpaw shook her head to clear her thoughts; Mintshard was in trouble and he needed her help. "R-Right!" she stammered before racing to the medicine cats' den. She fumbled around in the storage area, unsure of what she needed.

_Get a grip, Whiskerpaw! Your mentor is dying!_

"I don't know what I need!" she cried.

_Relax, Whiskerpaw._ A voice called to her racing and blurry thoughts. _Think hard. _

"W-Who said that?" Whiskerpaw called. The voice sounded comforting and familiar. She paused and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths and suddenly her mind cleared.

_That's it! Now, you don't have any marigold, so what's the next best thing that you have?_

"Uhh…" Whiskerpaw mumbled, glancing around at the herbs. "Tormentil will help…and so will horsetail."

_Fetch them and quickly. Mintshard doesn't have much time left._

After gathering the small yellow flowers and the fluffy stems, she raced as fast as her limp would make her out of the den and prayed that she wasn't too late.

* * *

**Will I kill Mintshard? Dun, dun, DUN! Gotta love those cliffhangers...well...I do. :3**


	6. Chapter 4

**Another chapter within a week? That's never happened before! **

**Warriors © Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans © Me**

* * *

By the time Whiskerpaw arrived at the scene, Moonshadow and Goldenstar had secured a small perimeter around Mintshard's bleeding body.

"Give Whiskerpaw some space," Goldenstar ordered as he gently directed Shadowclaw and Rustpaw back a few pawsteps.

Whiskerpaw placed the herbs down and examined her mentor. He was lying on his flank and the most major wound was a dripping cut on his neck. The blood stained his black coat, turning it into a dark and deep crimson color. There were other wounds, much smaller and less serious, around his shoulders and face, but Whiskerpaw knew she had to treat the neck wound first.

As she pressed her front paws against his neck to attempt to cease the bleeding, she lowered her ear towards Mintshard's face and was relieved to hear him breathing short and ragged breaths.

_He must be going through a shock, but I can't leave him just yet!_

"Rustpaw, can you fetch some cobwebs out of the den?" Whiskerpaw called, not removing her paws from Mintshard's neck. Of course she would forget an important tool when her mentor was dying.

"Right away!" the dark ginger tom with black spots dashed away into the tree roots. Whiskerpaw heard his approaching pawsteps a couple of heartbeats later and she saw him place a bundle down next to her.

"Thanks," she muttered and grabbed a pawful. She pressed the webs against Mintshard's neck, hoping for the bleeding to slow down. The cobwebs were quickly soaked with blood and Whiskerpaw had to replace them with a fresh batch. After repeating the process twice, Whiskerpaw was relieved when the bleeding slowed down enough for her to remove her paws.

_Great! Now, chew up the tormentil and the horsetail into a poultice and place it on the wound._

Following the voice's directions, she chewed up a mouthful of the herbs and spat it on the cobwebs, trusting that the juices would soak through to the wound.

_Place more cobwebs, just to make sure and treat the other wounds._

Whiskerpaw nodded to herself and silently placed more cobwebs on top of the poultice. She sniffed Mintshard's other minor wounds and treated them with more tormentil and horsetail.

"There goes our tormentil and horsetail supply," Whiskerpaw muttered under her breath as she placed the last scrap of the yellow flower on Mintshard's cheek. She finished with a cobweb before retreating backwards.

_Well done._

_Thanks, Quailfeather._

"I…I think he'll be okay, but he needs to be in the medicine cats' den where I can keep an eye on him," Whiskerpaw announced, noting that the tension in the air was so thick that it could be cut with a swipe of a claw.

Moonshadow and Ryeleaf moved in and gently carried the medicine cat between their shoulders.

"Careful not to open up his wounds!" Whiskerpaw called after them. She felt her father's small tail caress her cheek.

"You did well," he purred. "Mintshard would've been proud of you."

"You say that as if he's going to die."

"I trust your judgment."

"How could you?" A voice screeched, ending the moment between Goldenstar and his youngest daughter. It was Dustberry, and the very furious queen was hissing at her former mate. "My brother could've died if it weren't for Whiskerpaw! How could you attack our own medicine cat?"

Cliffjumper snorted. "The scoundrel should've kept his mouth shut," he replied.

Dustberry gasped and then growled. "I don't know what I ever saw in you, Cliffjumper, but I will always cherish our kits. Perhaps it's a good thing that you are never around to spend time with them; I wouldn't want them turning into a bad example like you!" With that, she turned around and ushered her kits towards the nursery.

"She…does have a point, Cliffjumper," Goldenstar meowed, padding up to the dark ginger tabby tom.

"She shouldn't poke her nose into my business," he snapped.

"And I know you will enjoy spending time with the elders, treating their ticks and changing their bedding," Goldenstar growled. "Because that's what you will be doing for the next moon. Pineheart taught you better than that."

Cliffjumper opened his mouth as if to retort, but thought better of it.

Whiskerpaw decided that it was best to check up on Moonshadow and Ryeleaf in the den and took the chance to leave. She found the two toms gently lowering Mintshard into his nest.

"Thanks," she mewed. Ryeleaf nodded before he left, but Moonshadow stayed.

"The Clan will look to you now that Mintshard's recovering," the Clan deputy mumbled, guilt lingering in his voice. "You'll need to be a strong as ever, but your father and I will assist you in any way possible."

Whiskerpaw paused for a moment, thinking about Moonshadow's words. She recalled how he, her father and Mintshard practically ran the Clan together, often consulting with one another before any major decision was made. Now…that was her role. "Could you…ask the apprentices to fetch Moonshadow more bedding?"

Moonshadow dipped his head. "Of course." He left without another word.

Claws scrapped the entranceway as two more cats walked in.

"We're…sorry about Mintshard, Whiskerpaw."

It was Quailheart and she suspected that Springfox was with him. She had completely forgotten about Springfox's wounds.

"Sorry, I forgot about you toms," Whiskerpaw apologized. She went into the storage area and fumbled around. Her supply of marigold, horsetail and tormentil was completely dry so she grabbed some comfrey root and more cobwebs. _I'll have to gather some more herbs later_. She chewed up the tangy root and applied it to Springfox's shoulders and claw wound. "Come back tomorrow so I can apply some more," she ordered.

"Thanks, Whiskerpaw," Springfox mumbled. He paused before following Quailheart out of the den. "You…you did great out there."

"Thanks, Springfox," Whiskerpaw replied and she couldn't help but beam. It was the first time her oldest brother complemented her career choice. Perhaps it meant that he was finally beginning to accept her choice?

Whiskerpaw spent the rest of the day sitting by Mintshard's side, reapplying fresh cobwebs when they were soaked by blood and even applied a dry oak leaf on his neck, just to make sure it wouldn't get infected. Rustpaw and Leafpaw arrived later with bundles of soft moss and feathers from the other cats.

As she applied the bedding underneath Mintshard's slumbering form, her mother padded into the den.

"How are you doing, Whiskerpaw?" Leapingriver gently asked.

"Mintshard's doing well," Whiskerpaw automatically replied. "There hasn't been any sign of infection, praise StarClan for that, and the bleeding has stopped."

"I didn't ask if Mintshard was doing well," Leapingriver soothingly chided. "I asked how _you_ are doing."

Whiskerpaw sighed. "Fine, I guess."

Leapingriver paused for a heartbeat then grunted. "Are you coming to the Gathering, tonight?"

"Fish-dung, I forgot about the Gathering!" Whiskerpaw exclaimed.

"We'll need a medicine cat to come, and Mintshard's in no shape to come," Leapingriver explained. "I'll watch over him while you go."

"But what if he—"

She was interrupted by her mother. "Mintshard will be fine," Leapingriver gently scolded. "You've treated him well."

"I just hope that it's enough," Whiskerpaw whispered before speaking louder. "I'll come."

* * *

It was nearly moonhigh by the time Whiskerpaw and the other WaterfallClan cats arrived at the Great Oak, an enormous oak tree in the center of a small group of much smaller oak trees. Goldenstar was in the lead, his tail beckoning his cats to come closer into the empty clearing.

"Wow, we're the first ones!" Stalkshine chirped as she ran ahead and marveled at the not usually empty area around the Great Oak.

"Geez, stop acting like a kit, Stalkshine!" Tallstalk purred.

"Oh, you're just grumpy because Moonshine's not here," Stalkshine gently shot back at her denmate.

"It is unusual for this place to be empty," Shadowclaw noted.

"It feels…odd," Quailheart commented.

"Well it looks like we're not going to be lonely for any longer," Ryeleaf meowed as the scent of RowanClan flooded the Gathering Place. Rumblestar arrived with his Clan behind him. The great RowanClan leader's fur was ruffled and shaggy, as if he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in moons. Prattlecreek, his deputy, was next to Rumblestar, as if he were as frail as ice.

"Greetings Rumblestar and Prattlecreek," Goldenstar greeted as Moonshadow dipped his head in respect. "It's a lovely night for a Gathering, isn't it?"

Rumblestar muttered something under his breath and didn't reply.

Prattlecreek looked conflicted. "Eh, yes, yes it is, Goldenstar!" she cheerfully replied. "RowanClan's been grateful for the cool weather."

"Ech, can you WaterfallClan cats close your mouths?" a tom named Fadedheart grumbled to Rustpaw. "This place already reeks of fish."

"Such a shame," Rustpaw sarcastically replied to the white and gray tom. "It is a lovely fragrance."

"To a WaterfallClan cat, maybe," Fadedheart mumbled.

A tom named Prideheart padded up to Mousethorn. "Greetings, Mousethorn. How's prey running?"

"It's actually _swimming_ well, Prideheart!" Mousethorn joked. "How are you fitting in to RowanClan?"

Prideheart shrugged. "It beats the life of a loner and I know that Fadedheart, Featherspots and Crowstripe benefit greatly from it."

"That's great to hear!" Mousethorn replied.

"Hey, Whiskerpaw!" Chervilpad, the RowanClan medicine cat, called and trotted towards the pale golden speckled she-cat with her apprentice, Crowstripe, behind her. She looked around, as if expecting somebody. "Where's Mintshard?"

"Oh, uh…he couldn't make it tonight," Whiskerpaw stammered. "He's, uh, he's really sick!"

"Oh, that's a shame," Chervilpad meowed. "What does he have?"

"Uh…a mild cough that he will hopefully recover from soon!" Whiskerpaw lied. There was no way she was going to let an enemy Clan know that Mintshard was severely injured by a Clanmate.

The pale brown tabby she-cat tipped her head slightly to the left. "Well…make sure you give him catmint so that it doesn't turn into whitecough, or StarClan forbid, greencough."

"Thanks for the advice," Whiskerpaw muttered.

Chervilpad looked like she wanted to say more, but yowls not far alerted to them that MeadowClan had arrived. "Oh, greetings Frozenwhisker and Pigeonpaw!" she called as she walked over to meet them.

Crowstripe slightly glared at Whiskerpaw for a few heartbeats. "You better make sure that you treat Mintshard well, Whiskerpaw," he growled.

"What gives you the right to give me orders?" Whiskerpaw demanded. She never liked Crowstripe, mostly because of his stuck up attitude.

"_I_ have my full name," the black tom with a lighter stripe down his back sneered.

Whiskerpaw rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and we're the same age, minnow-brain."

"Perhaps Mintshard doesn't think you're good enough."

"He does, too!" Whiskerpaw shot back, though she couldn't help but wonder if he was somewhat right. _Does Mintshard not think I'm good enough?_

"Crowstripe!" Chervilpad's call ceased the argument between the two medicine cat apprentices.

"See you around, half-Clan," Crowstripe meowed before heading towards his mentor.

_And you're half loner! Just because my father's mother was half-Clan, doesn't mean that I am!_

"Hey, Whiskerpaw," Pigeonpaw, the MeadowClan medicine cat apprentice, greeted. "Crowstripe's such a jerk, isn't he?"

"He and Fadedheart."

"Aw, Fadedheart's not so bad compared to Crowstripe," the gray and white spotted tom joked. "They just despise each other."

Whiskerpaw let out an _mrrow_ of amusement. Unlike Crowstripe, Whiskerpaw liked Frozenwhisker's apprentice. "So…any news to share?" she asked.

"Yeah, I got my name two moonrises ago!" Pigeonpaw announced. "Frozenwhisker decided not to wait until the half-moon meeting to give me my name."

"That's awesome!" Whiskerpaw purred. "What is it?"

"Guess!" Pigeonpaw's golden eyes lit up in the moonlight.

"Uh…Pigeonfeather?" Whiskerpaw guessed.

Pigeonpaw shook his head. "Nope!"

"Erm…Pigeonspots?"

"Guess again!"

"Pigeonwing?"

"N—actually, yes!" Pigeonwing purred. "Nice guess!"

_Wow, even Pigeonwing got his name and I haven't…_

The gray and white tom sensed Whiskerpaw's displeasure and his smile dropped. "I heard about Mintshard. I hope he feels better."

"Thanks…" Whiskerpaw mumbled.

"ThistleClan's here!" Otterwhisker yowled, alerting the conversing cats of the other Clan's arrival. Several cats filed into the clearing with Sloestar and Batwing leading them. Sloestar said a few words to the other Clan leaders before they all leapt on top of the tree, signaling the start of the Gathering. The cats quieted down as they grouped closer to the tree, waiting for the first leader to start. Whiskerpaw and Pigeonwing sat next to the other medicine cats and listened.

"ThistleClan is doing well," Sloestar began, her black pelt hidden in the shadows of the tree. "We have two new warriors, Puddletail and Frostwillow!"

"Puddletail! Frostwillow! Puddletail! Frostwillow!" the Clan cats cheered and Whiskerpaw saw a gray and white she-cat and a white tom raise their heads proudly.

"MeadowClan is also doing well," Froststar meowed. "I made a new warrior a few sunrises ago, Sorrelpetal, and our medicine cat apprentice has also received his full name, Pigeonwing!"

"Sorrelpetal! Pigeonwing! Sorrelpetal! Pigeonwing!"

"It's great that you got your full name at the same time as your sister's," Whiskerpaw whispered to the prideful tom.

"Yeah, I was fortunate," Pigeonwing meowed carefully, for he knew that Whiskerpaw's littermates got their names last moon. "You'll get yours soon, I just know it!"

Whiskerpaw touched her nose to his ear in comfort and she nearly missed the end of her father's report.

"—and we have a queen expecting Tallstalk's kits!" Goldenstar finished. Whiskerpaw caught sight of the pale gray tabby tom raising his head boastfully as a few cats congratulated him on becoming a father.

Goldenstar barely finished his report before Rumblestar hissed at him. "Goldenstar, you have a murderer in your Clan!" he snarled.

Goldenstar looked puzzled as a few cats whispered below. "Would you care to clarify your accusations, Rumblestar?" he gingerly asked.

"Mistytail was found dead at our border," Rumblestar snarled. "And she had WaterfallClan scent all around her."

"She had claw marks all over her body," Whiskerpaw heard Fadedheart whisper to Quailheart. "She was undoubtedly killed by a cat."

"How could you tell it was our scent?" Moonshadow called from down below.

"I can never forget WaterfallClan scent!" Rumblestar hissed.

The whispers below the Great Oak grew louder and louder until nearly every cat was in on the discussion. Prattlecreek leapt on to the Great Oak and fervently whispered something into Rumblestar's ear. He growled, but didn't say anything.

"Goldenstar, I apologize for my leader's accusations," Prattlecreek began, "but we did indeed find Mistytail's body at our border with yours and there was WaterfallClan scent on her body. We aren't accusing anything, but if any of your cats knows who did it, please let them come to us. We won't rest until the murderer is found."

Goldenstar snorted. "'We aren't accusing anything'! You clearly think one of my cats killed Mistytail! I am greatly sorry for your loss, but I won't have any of this nonsense!" He raised his voice louder so that it could be heard over the chattering cats. "WaterfallClan, we are leaving! I won't stand here like dead prey and listen to my cats being accused as murderers." With that, he leapt off the tree and furiously padded out of the clearing, his cats following behind. The other Clan cats made a path for the Clan, though some hissed and growled at the fleeing cats.

"Goldenstar, that made us seem weak!" Moonshadow angrily whispered into his leader's ear.

"It's better than my cats being accused as killers," Goldenstar shot back. "None of us would ever kill another cat in cold blood."

Whiskerpaw wasn't so sure with her father's statement, for she saw some of her Clanmates looking guiltily at each other and their paws.


	7. Chapter 5 - Ryeleaf

**This chapter is one of those chapters that I mentioned earlier that focus on a different character's POV and talk about a certain topic. This is one of those chapters. This chapter focuses on Ryeleaf and his thoughts. It's actually based on a true story, except the roles were switched. :3 And it was the first chapter of _The Phoenix_ that I wrote. **

**I hope you enjoy and we'll resume with Whiskerpaw's POV next chapter. **

**Warriors © Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans © Me**

* * *

There were some days when Ryeleaf just wanted to sit and relax. This was one of those days. He sat down outside the warriors' den in a shady spot beneath a tall willow. He wrapped his pale brown tabby tail around his flank and rested his chin on his paws. His Clanmates were beginning to return to their nests for the night, but four young cats continued to play in the center of the camp. His two youngest kits, Rustpaw and Leafpaw, were showing off battle moves to Cragkit and Adderkit. It was good that his two kits were distracting the youngest members of the Clan's minds off of what their father did yesterday.

"Now watch closely," Rustpaw began, his dark ginger fur bristling with excitement. "You have to be quick and fast when attacking a MeadowClan warrior. Does anyone know why?"

"Oh, oh, I know, I know!" Adderkit chirped as she bounced up and down.

"Alright, Adderkit," Rustpaw purred.

"It's 'cause they are very fast and you have to be faster to avoid them!" the dark brown tabby she-cat answered.

"That's correct!" Rustpaw replied.

"Well done, Adderkit!" Leafpaw mewed. "Now, I'll pretend that I'm a MeadowClan cat and watch what Rustpaw will do—" Before she could finish her sentence, her older brother had tackled his sister to the ground. "Rustpaw, I wasn't finished!" she snapped.

"You always have to catch your enemy off guard!" Rustpaw smirked as Leafpaw writhed under him. Leafpaw managed to get her hind paws under his belly and she shoved her brother off. It wasn't long until a full-out tussle began between the two littermates with Adderkit and Cragkit watching with wide eyes.

Ryeleaf snorted. His kits could be a pawful, but he could never stop loving them. He remembered when he was their age, playing with Moonshadow and Pineheart outside the apprentices' den. Of course, lots had happened since those early days; Smoke Claw had tried to destroy the Clans twice, the Clans moved to their new home, Goldenstar had become leader of WaterfallClan, and, of course, he had taken Leopardnose as his mate.

The senior warrior's smiled at the thought of his lovely mate. He remembered when he first laid eyes on her when he was just a kit; he thought that she was the most beautiful she-cat he had ever seen. Of course, he was just a kit at the time and had seen many she-cats, but Leopardnose was more beautiful than all of them combined. Ryeleaf remembered how he'd tried to win her over, but the snarky she-cat simply ignored his advances. It was one of the many things that he loved about her; her stubbornness and fiery attitude simply captivated him.

But Ryeleaf wasn't the only cat to capture Leopardnose's heart. He couldn't help but let out a tiny growl when he thought of _Quailfeather_. The older tom somehow won Leopardnose's heart before he did and Ryeleaf was forced to think that her first litter was his own. He couldn't begin to imagine how Leopardnose managed to love the former medicine cat; he remembered how Cedarstep and Moonshadow used to tease the former medicine cat when they were apprentices, though Quailfeather never fought back. Perhaps that is what Leopardnose found in him so attractive; how he preferred to use his talents to heal instead to fight like every other cat in the Clan, how he sacrificed his life to serve his Clan without using his claws, and how he was always…right about things. StarClan definitely chose the right cat to be their medicine cat, but was he the right cat to be Leopardnose's mate?

Ryeleaf could never shake the feeling that Leopardnose always loved Quailfeather more than she loved him. It was a stupid assumption, since Quailfeather has been dead for seasons, but the thought had always been in his heart. He never told Leopardnose because he was afraid she would lash out. She did have her moods. He couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow and jealousy whenever he saw Mousethorn or Goldenstar; if Quailfeather had never existed, then his _kits_ would've become Clan leader!

That led to another point, did Leopardnose _really_ love him? She _used_ him when Goldenstar and his siblings were first born so that the Clan would think that they were his kits! But after their other litters were born…Ryeleaf didn't know what to think. He remembered how he used to play with Mousethorn, Pumpkinfur, and Goldenstar when they were kits; they used to climb on his back and he'd stomp around the camp like a badger. He used to help them with their training and take them out hunting during the afternoons. All of those happy memories he had with the three toms crumbled when Leopardnose announced that they were not his.

Ryeleaf couldn't help but continue to think angry thoughts. Did Leopardnose really love him? When Quailfeather's kits were born, did she really mean 'I love you'? Were they just empty words to her since she always loved Quailfeather? And what about today; does she still love Quailfeather, or has she really moved on? He'd seen the way those two used to look at each other, and he couldn't help but notice how the way she looked at Quailfeather was so different from the way she looked at him.

When Leopardnose finally accepted his offer to be his mate, Ryeleaf was ecstatic. After all, he had asked many times before, but he was always declined politely. She had always seemed…distant when they first became mates, and Ryeleaf always tried his best to please her. It seemed that no matter what he did had an effect on her glum attitude towards him. After her first litter was born, she started to show affection towards Ryeleaf. Perhaps it was because she wanted her kits to believe that Ryeleaf was their father and that Leopardnose loved him. Were they all lies?

The questions and harsh memories continued to plague his mind, and he didn't notice that Leopardnose was trying to get his attention, or that she was in front of him at all.

"What did you say?" Ryeleaf asked as he snapped out of his mind.

Leopardnose snorted playfully and rolled her eyes. "I said, for the like the thousandth time, are you going to sleep out here or in our nest?"

Ryeleaf paused for a moment before replying. "Actually…do you care to go for a walk first?"

Leopardnose was surprised at his offer, but shook her head. "It's kind of chilly tonight..."

Ryeleaf's heart nearly shattered to a million pieces, and was about to retort when Leopardnose spoke.

"…but I think a nice run will do us some good," she purred and nosed her mate to his paws. "We better go before it gets too cold."

Ryeleaf simply nodded as the two mates quietly padded towards the camp entrance. Auburnwhisker was guarding the camp entrance tonight and he pricked his ears when the two cats approached him.

"We'll be taking a short walk tonight, Auburnwhisker," Ryeleaf assured the warrior.

The golden-brown tom nodded and let the two mates pass. They entered the forest and walked in silence for a few heartbeats.

"I never got the opportunity to ask you how the Gathering was last night," Leopardnose began. "I heard that Rumblestar accused us of killing Mistytail. It's a shame what happened to that poor she-cat, but Rumblestar has no right to accuse us of such things. At least Goldenstar's been adding more patrols to the RowanClan border, although Whiskerpaw's been getting jumpy about something."

Ryeleaf flinched when she mentioned Goldenstar and his kin. Was that all she cared about? "Uh huh."

There was a pregnant pause.

"So…" Leopardnose meowed, breaking the silence once again, and she noticed her mate's lack of a response.

"'So' what?" Ryeleaf asked, perhaps a bit too harsh.

"You seem…upset," the golden and black spotted she-cat commented.

"I'm not upset," Ryeleaf slightly growled, but he knew that he was being a hypocrite. He also knew that Leopardnose noticed it as well.

"Fine," she growled. "Don't tell me what's on your mind." She trotted away towards the river two fox-lengths away and sat down in front of it.

Ryeleaf sighed; he knew that he shouldn't have snapped. Leopardnose was merely being curious, and he had no right to growl at her. He gently padded next to his mate and sat down next to her. He pressed his muzzle against hers and let out a somber purr.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have snapped. I do have something on my mind…"

Leopardnose purred back. "I forgive you, you old fur-ball," she gently teased. She gave him a lick on his ear. "What's on your mind?"

There was a long pause before he spoke his mind. "Leopardnose, these past few years have been the best years of my life," Ryeleaf began and he looked away when he saw her green eyes sparkle. "But…I've always knew that you never really loved me. You've always loved Quailfeather…but never me."

Leopardnose drew her ears back and bore her teeth slightly. "How dare _you_ say that?!"

"Well, believe it or not, it's true!" Ryeleaf snapped back. "I saw how you used to look at him and how you look at me; it's clearly not the same. I saw how your eyes lit up when you heard his voice, how happy you looked to see him. That rarely happened with me. I often wondered if you truly loved me for all of these seasons, and that you only accepted my offer to become my mate just so Quailfeather's kits could have a father. I see how you gaze happily at Goldenstar and Mousethorn and their kits, but you don't have that same affection with our kits; you do give them love and care for them, but it wasn't the same with your first litter. I've often told you how much I've loved you…but you rarely say it back. Do you know how much it hurts to know that your mate doesn't feel the same way towards you? I've tried everything to make you happy, and they never seem to work. If you want…I won't be your mate anymore so you can stop pretending to love me. I won't tell any cat about this…I promise."

Ryeleaf gazed at the dark, but clear river at his paws while he waited for Leopardnose to rip his fur off. Heart-beats passed, but he didn't feel any claw marks on his back. Seizing the moment, Ryeleaf slowly glanced up at his mate and was surprised to see that she was gazing affectionately at him

"Oh, Ryeleaf…" she began and glanced at the river for a few heart-beats. "I never knew that you felt like this…why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I…I was afraid that you would get angry," Ryeleaf simply stated. "But…I couldn't take it any longer."

"I understand." Leopardnose continued to gaze at the river, avoiding his leaf-green gaze. "You are somewhat right, and somewhat wrong. It is true…I did love Quailfeather and I miss him dearly. He was my best friend and I could tell him anything. I don't know how I fell for him, but it just…happened. I always did have a thing or two for you, but I did prefer Quailfeather. I didn't mean to have his kits, but I knew that the Clan wouldn't be pleased if they knew the truth…so I took the next best option. Quailfeather wasn't pleased about this and we got into an argument; he wanted to leave the forest so that we could be together, but I couldn't bear the fact of raising our kits in the forest as rogues. We agreed to my plan and we made a promise to never meet up in secret ever again.

"After that argument, my feelings for him diminished; they never fully went away, but I no longer loved him. Instead…I finally accepted your request to become your mate. And it was…the best decision I've ever made and it changed my life for the better. I don't care if Pumpkinfur, Goldenstar, Mousethorn or Limpkit were your kits biologically; you were still _their_ father, and a wonderful one. I always wished that they were truly yours. I did love them a bit more, because I saw the traits that made me fall in love with Quailfeather in them. As of now, I love _all_ of my kits, no matter who they were fathered by.

"As for you…you are right. When we first got together, I did have some feelings for Quailfeather and I'm sorry that I didn't show my affection for you in the beginning. After a while…I started to truly see the wonders in you and I became grateful for you in my life.

"I never meant to make you feel useless. You are a very important part of my life and I apologize. Without your constant support and smiles, I don't know where I would be. You always had a way to make me smile and laugh and that made every single sunrise better.

"If I didn't love you, then we wouldn't have our wonderful kits together. We've been through thick and thin together, Ryeleaf. We've lost three kits and raised the other six to be proud and loyal WaterfallClan cats. Heck, one of them is a dog whisperer!" She let out a happy purr. "As of right now…I'll try to do better. These past few moons have been rough ever since Cloudedsky died a moon ago…" She paused, as if trying to keep her emotions in check and Ryeleaf remembered how a patrol found Cloudedsky's wounded body deep in the woods with claw marks all around her body. Ryeleaf had never felt such a strong grief before in his entire life, even when his mother died seasons ago. "But I know that we can make it through anything, as long as we do it together."

"Leopardnose…I…" Ryeleaf began, but he was at a loss for words. He was wrong about everything! "I…thank you. I've been living with this guilt for far too long."

"You have, you big fur-ball," Leopardnose gently teased and rested her muzzle against his. "Tell you what; I'll make it up to you. From now on, I shall proclaim my love to you every single sunrise. I will become the mate that I should've become and the one that you truly deserve."

"That sounds lovely," Ryeleaf purred and the two kinked tails.

The two mates had spent the entire night sitting by the river, exchanging tales and reminiscing old memories. They had laughed, they had cried, and they had smiled until the sun rose. That night they had shared was long overdue. For countless seasons, Ryeleaf had believed that Leopardnose didn't love him, but he was wrong. His mate had loved him with all of her heart until her last breath.

Leopardnose died the next day. She and Ryeleaf had taken a nap in the warriors' den and she never woke up. Ryeleaf grieved more than any cat, but he was also happy. The burden he had carried within him was completely gone, and his mate was now where she belonged.

In the moons to come, many cats had asked Ryeleaf why he was so happy and cheerful when his mate was gone. Ryeleaf would smile and gleefully tell them that he knew that his mate loved him and was watching over him with their kits in StarClan. If it wasn't for that fateful night by the river, he would've lived with that guilt for the rest of his long life.

And for that, he was truly grateful.

* * *

**Yes, it was based on a true story. An elderly couple that were my long-gone relatives a few generations back did have this exact conversation about the husband only marrying the wife for certain reasons, but not for love. Like Leopardnose, the husband proved the wife wrong and promised that he would make things right. He died the next day.**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**


	8. Chapter 6

**Here's another chapter! :D**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Moi**

* * *

Whiskerpaw woke with a jolt, her breathing ragged and fast and her eyes wide with alarm. She quickly glanced around and was relieved to see that it was only another nightmare.

_ Only just another…_

It had been three sunrises since the Gathering and only yesterday Leopardnose was buried. The Clan had been devastated by her sudden demise and they were even more puzzled when Whiskerpaw had told them that there was no obvious cause to her death. The whole Clan seemed affected by Leopardnose's passing; Goldenstar rarely spoke more than a few words at a time, Mousethorn hasn't groomed himself at all, Rustpaw and Leafpaw grew quieter by each passing sunrise, Tallstalk spent more time in the nursery with the expecting Moonshine and rarely left her side and there was no word on how Inkheart was dealing with his mother's demise. Only Ryeleaf seemed cheerful and it puzzled Whiskerpaw on why. Perhaps he was hiding his grief.

Whiskerpaw gingerly got to her paws and stretched. Her latest dream had felt so realistic…she swore she felt the heat singe her whiskers and ears and she still had a faint, but present, aching in her throat, as if she breathed in a lot of smoke. Shaking out those unfavorable thoughts, she glanced over at her mentor's nest next to hers and was pleased to hear his steady breath. His neck wound was neatly wrapped up in a stick net of cobwebs, but Whiskerpaw feared that an infection might set in if she didn't apply any marigold. Unfortunately, the recent frost killed the remaining marigold by the river, and their other supply was completely dry. If she couldn't find any marigold soon, she might have to ask for some from another Clan.

_And that'll just make things perfect!_ She sadistically thought to herself. Both RowanClan and MeadowClan made sure their borders were marked practically every few minutes, and it seemed that they have believed Rumblestar's claims. It didn't seem fair that the RowanClan leader accused WaterfallClan of killing Mistytail and now all the Clans were on edge. If she asked for marigold from one of the Clans, and that is if her father even _allows_ it to begin with, it will undoubtedly make WaterfallClan seem weak during this hard time.

"Don't worry, Mintshard," she whispered, "I'll find marigold, one more or another." With that, she left the den and stretched once more in the sunlight, though there was a chill in the air. It was nearly sun-high and her Clanmates tried to continue their daily routines despite the sadness. Moonshadow was conversing with Goldenstar beneath Stonecleft along with several of the senior warriors, the elders were sharing a large pike near their den, Privetdrop and Fallsriver were whispering to each other next to the warriors' den with their tails intertwining while Springfox and Quailheart were showing off a few battle moves to Cragkit and Adderkit. Their mother, Dustberry, having recovered from her cough, watched not far. Cliffjumper was caring out his punishment by shoving out a large pile of dirty moss from the elders' den, making an unpleasant face while doing so. Rustpaw and Leafpaw were demonstrating their latest defensive moves to Reedleg and Shadowclaw. Meltingice appeared in the camp with Stalkshine, Auburnwhisker and Cedarstep, having returned from a family hunting trip.

Suddenly noticing her rumbling belly, Whiskerpaw quickly trotted towards the fresh-kill pile and chose a nice meaty mouse. She finished it in a few swift gulps and noticed Fallsriver walked towards her.

"Hey, Whiskerpaw!" Fallsriver chirped, her usual cheerful self prominent in her voice. "Do you want to go fetch some more herbs?"

Whiskerpaw blinked, seeing through the obvious excuse for 'I want to talk to you in private'. "Sure," she replied, swiping her tongue over her muzzle. "I have to gather more tormentil for Mintshard and borage for Moonshine."

Fallsriver nodded, her eyes gleaming.

The two sisters once again padded, well _limped_ in Whiskerpaw's case, out of the camp and into the cool forest. As Whiskerpaw scanned the shady spots underneath the towering trees, she noticed how quiet Fallsriver was, how _unusually_ quiet she was.

"What's the matter, Fallsriver? ThistleClan cat got your tongue?" Whiskerpaw joked, trying to break the tension that came with the uneasy silence.

The brown tabby and white she-cat didn't reply, but still kept a smile plastered on her face as they continued walking.

"Heh…are you alright, Fallsriver?" Whiskerpaw asked. She couldn't decide what was more annoying, her sister's perpetual chatter or her strange silence.

"Oh! Are those borage leaves?" Fallsriver piped as she trotted towards a plant with hairy leaves and a faint purple star-shaped flower.

"Yeah," Whiskerpaw replied and promptly gathered the leaves. They made her mouth tickle.

"Those are good for nursing queens, right?"

Whiskerpaw froze for a heartbeat. "Uh, yeah."

"Good."

Whiskerpaw just had to speak her mind. "Okay, spit it out, Fallsriver!" she ordered. "Why are you being so secretive? You obviously have something on your mind and why are you so interested in herbs anyway? Are you looking to replace Mintshard?" Before she could accuse her sister any further, Fallsriver stopped her with a raised paw. Only once Whiskerpaw closed her mouth did her sister speak.

"I'm expecting kits!" she excitingly squealed.

Whiskerpaw's jaws dropped. Her sister was expecting kits…already?! They were so young and her sister got her warrior name a few moons ago! What was she thinking?

Fallsriver noticed her sister's lack of a response and her cheerful mood turned into a concerned one. "Aren't you…happy for me?" she asked.

"O-Of course!" Whiskerpaw stammered, still getting over her shock. "I-I'm just—"

"Shocked because we're so young," Fallsriver finished knowingly. "I understand. I already told our parents; they weren't pleased at first because we're so young, but they understood. And Privetdrop's so happy!"

"Yeah, but—"

"Oh, come on, Whiskerpaw, you can't expect me to be with Privetdrop and not have kits with him? Nearly every couple in the entire history of the Clans has kits. Even our parents had kits."

"Yeah, but at least they waited until they were older!" Whiskerpaw shot and immediately regretted her words.

Fallsriver frowned. "You know, Whiskerpaw, I thought that you would've been happy for me and Privetdrop for having these kits. I was going to tell you that I was glad that my kits will be born when WaterfallClan has a great and understanding medicine cat _apprentice_," she growled and promptly padded away.

"That's not what I meant!" Whiskerpaw called back, but her sister already disappeared in the direction of camp. "Oh, StarClan, what have I done?"

She quickly collected the borage and some tormentil that was not far and swiftly, to the best of her abilities, returned to camp. A large gathering of cats conversed quietly beneath the Stonecleft and Whiskerpaw thought for a heartbeat that Fallsriver had tattled on her bad mood. It was quite the opposite, however, for Fallsriver was silently sitting next to Privetdrop, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Up in front, Whiskerpaw noticed that Dustberry sat between Adderkit and Cragkit, whose fur was shiny and sleek from their mother's grooming. Goldenstar sat in front of them, his eyes full of warmth.

"Whiskerpaw, come and join me here!" Auburnwhisker called from side. The golden-brown tom was sitting not far from the stream with his sister, Stalkshine, next to him. Deciding it was better than sitting by herself, Whiskerpaw padded towards her older Clanmates.

"Do you know what's going on?" Whiskerpaw asked.

"Cragkit and Adderkit are becoming apprentices!" Stalkshine happily announced. She roughly shouldered her brother's flank. "Auburnwhisker's convinced that he's getting one of them as his first apprentice."

"What?" Auburnwhisker bashfully glanced away. "I mean…it would be nice to get an apprentice. We've been warriors for several moons now."

"Oh, now it's _we_?" Stalkshine purred.

"Cats of WaterfallClan," Goldenstar called, saving Auburnwhisker from having to come up with a good enough comeback. "As our neighbors press further and further at our borders, let us continue on with our lives, and the life of a warrior. In order to preserve our ways, new kits must be trained to become noble cats, warriors. I have called you here to continue the cycle, and make Cragkit and Adderkit apprentices."

Whiskerpaw noticed that the two young soon-to-be-apprentices were practically bouncing out of their pelts from their excitement. Dustberry was looking pleased, while Cliffjumper was spotted back near the elders' den with a scowl on his face.

"Cragkit, please step forward," Goldenstar commanded. The tiny dark ginger she-kit trotted forward with a tiny bounce in her step right up to the Clan leader.

"I'm ready!" she chirped.

"Very well," Goldenstar purred amusingly. "From this moment on, until she has received her warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Cragpaw. Leapingriver," the pale brown she-cat glanced up surprisingly when her mate called forth her name, "you show both the gentleness of a mother, but the fierceness of a warrior. I trust that you will teach your apprentice this precious balance."

Leapingriver's eyes sparked in amusement before she gently tapped her nose against Cragpaw's.

"Adderkit," Goldenstar went on to the final kit. "From this moment on, until you have received your warrior name, you shall be known as Adderpaw. Reedleg, you are a warrior of thoughtfulness and enterprise. Teach those qualities to your new apprentice."

The shy mottled dark gray tom nimbly padded towards Adderpaw and the two lightly touched noses.

"Cragpaw! Adderpaw! Cragpaw! Adderpaw!" the Clan cheered. The newly made apprentices raised their heads with pride as their fellow Clanmates chanted their names. Cliffjumper made his way through the crowd until he stood before his kits. He opened his jaws as if to say something, but thought better of it. He simply gave a sharp nod before the glares of his fellow Clanmates sent him away. He paused to stare at Dustberry for a heartbeat before moving onward back towards the elders' den.


	9. Chapter 7

**Here's the next chapter! :D**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Moi**

* * *

"Whiskerpaw, wake up!" a sharp paw prodded the she-cat's flank and Whiskerpaw groggily opened her eyes. She recognized her mother's pale brown face and immediately thought the worse.

"Is Mintshard alright?" Whiskerpaw yelped and promptly got on her paws, ready to treat whatever might've arisen during the night. Her mother gently draped her tail on Whiskerpaw's shoulder to stop her.

"Mintshard is still stable," Leapingriver soothed. "Your father is just commencing a fire drill soon."

"But what about Mintshard and the expecting queens?" Whiskerpaw demanded. "They can't make it to the waterfall by themselves."

"They're staying behind with a few warriors to watch over them," Leapingriver explained. "But if there was a real fire, then we would help them. Come." She beckoned her daughter with her white paw. "Let's get ready with the others."

Climbing out of her next, Whiskerpaw uneasily followed her mother out of the den. The majority of the Clan was already waiting outside, with Goldenstar and Moonshadow waiting by the camp entrance. Mousethorn and Otterwhisker sat next to the elders, who watched from their trunk entrance. Tallstalk sat next to his mate and it was made obvious that he would be staying behind as well. Fallsriver eyed her Clanmates uneasily, but Dustberry gentled draped her tail over the young queen's shoulder for a few heartbeats before padding over to the two she-cats.

"Don't worry," Dustberry whispered to Whiskerpaw. "I'll keep an eye out on both my brother and your sister."

"I appreciate it," Whiskerpaw purred back.

Goldenstar gathered his Clan's attention with a wave of his short tail. "Clanmates, we practice these drills during the dry moons so that we are prepared when a blaze comes," he announced. "Each cat pair up with a partner and stay together. We'll head to our meeting place by the waterfall."

As the cats began to pair up, Whiskerpaw thought that her mother would want to stay close to her apprentice, Cragpaw, for the journey. As she suspected, Leapingriver ushered her apprentice forward with her tail as the cats made their way out of the camp.

"Whiskerpaw, why don't you walk with us?" Leapingriver offered. It was pain-snakingly obvious that her mother just wanted to keep an eye on her.

_I'm not a kit anymore!_ Whiskerpaw wanted to yowl._ I can take care of myself!_

"Sure," she choked out, joining her mother's side. Her mother let out a content purr and led her daughter forward with her white-tipped tail.

The Clan's pace was brisk as they walked through the autumn forest. Goldenstar was at the lead with Moonshadow at his side, both setting a quick pace through the territory. Cedarstep and Ryeleaf were directly behind them, with Meltingice and Cliffjumper behind them. Nightstrike and Privetdrop kept a close eye on the apprentices Leafpaw and Rustpaw, Privetdrop being Rustpaw's new mentor while Moonshine was in the nursery. Both apprentices were behaving exceptionally well. The littermates Stalkshine and Auburnwhisker quietly chatted as they walked, and Reedleg and Adderpaw walked with Shadowclaw. Whiskerpaw's older brothers, Springfox and Quailheart, said nothing between them and for a heartbeat Whiskerpaw wondered if something was going on between the two normally close littermates. Quailheart avoided Springfox's sight at all while his brother showed nothing in his emotionless gaze. His wounds were healing nicely, however, and Whiskerpaw wondered what caused them.

"So we're going to the waterfall?" Cragpaw asked Leapingriver.

The she-cat nodded. "Exactly," she meowed.

"Adderpaw says that its roar is louder than the entire Clan of RowanClan!" Cragpaw gleefully explained.

"I'm not sure about that, but it is pretty loud," Leapingriver purred.

The dark ginger tabby she-cat looked at the rest of the Clan a few tail-lengths ahead. "Why are we walking so slowly?" she innocently asked.

"Because we're keeping Whiskerpaw comfortably," Leapingriver explained.

Anger surged through Whiskerpaw. _She's only here so I won't get left behind by myself!_

"Oh," Cragpaw meowed. "That's because of your limp, right?" she asked, turned her head back to speak to Whiskerpaw.

Whiskerpaw didn't want to answer.

Apparently, her father and Moonshadow shared the same thought, for they halted and glanced back to see them lagging behind.

"Maybe Whiskerpaw should've stayed behind," Moonshadow whispered to Goldenstar. The WaterfallClan leader didn't say anything.

"Come on, let's be rational here, Goldenstar!" Cedarstep snapped, clearly irritated about the lagging pace. "If there was a real fire happening, then we would be safer leaving her behind."

"How can you say that?" Meltingice gaped. "It's not Whiskerpaw's fault that she can't keep up with our pace."

"Fires are unpredictable and ruthless," Cedarstep calmly insisted. "They won't sit back and wait a fox-length behind just because one cat is too slow. They'll come in and wipe out everything we know. The only way to escape its treacherous claws is to move briskly. Whiskerpaw is only putting the Clan in danger by slowing us down."

"What about the queens and kits?" Ryeleaf insisted. "And the elders?"

"We can assist the elders and queens easily," Cedarstep explained. "And we can always carry the kits. We can't, however, carry a nearly full-grown apprentice."

"So you are saying that we should just leave her behind?" Nightstrike suggested. "And what about my son? He can't walk on his own and it'll be hard to carry him. I will not leave Mintshard behind!"

Before Cedarstep could respond, Whiskerpaw limped up to the front of the group. "If it'll please every cat, I'll return to the camp. Cedarstep does make some good arguments."

"It'll probably be best if you do," Goldenstar surprisingly agreed, much to his Clanmates' astonishment. "However, in the case of a real blaze, we shall help all of our Clanmates, injured or not."

"Allow me to come with you," Leapingriver offered and reached out to her daughter with her tail.

Whiskerpaw shook her head. "No, I can make it back to camp myself." She tried to ignore her mother's hurt look by turning away towards the camp. She could hear her Clanmates' rushed pawsteps as they padded away towards the waterfall. She could tell that they didn't want her around just because of her disability.

_See if I care!_ Whiskerpaw snobbishly sneered, but a different voice echoed a different thought. _But you do._

"Where are the others?" Stripedwhisker asked once Whiskerpaw arrived in the camp.

"They decided to gone on without me," Whiskerpaw explained without looking at the tabby elder. "It's no big deal." She paused at the tiny stream that ran through the camp and took a few laps of water.

"It seems like it's bothering you." She felt the elder's breath on her ear and his loopy reflection on the water. When Whiskerpaw didn't respond, the tom continued. "Oh, those younger cats think that we can't be of any use because we can't walk properly." He lifted his hind crippled back leg to prove his point. "But we're still cats. Cats like them." Stripedwhisker gently rested his nose on Whiskerpaw's ear for a heartbeat. "They'll come to respect you." With that, the elder limped back towards the elders' den.

* * *

The rest of the Clan returned just as Whiskerpaw disappeared into the nursery to check on Moonshine.

"Do you know how many yet?" Moonshine asked. The dark gray tabby queen was lying on her flank while Whiskerpaw was feeling her belly.

"It's hard to say honestly," Whiskerpaw admitted. "But nothing feels wrong. They'll be born soon, by the looks of it."

"Thanks, Whiskerpaw," Moonshine beamed. "Tallstalk's been worried for the past few sunrises."

"That's normal for toms," the pale golden speckled she-cat explained, looking over her herbs that she brought over. Their supply of borage was pitifully low, and she would require more as soon as Moonshine's kits were born; the supply she gathered the previous sunrise won't last long since Fallsriver will bear her kits in a half-moon or so.

"He says that he worried about me because Mintshard's out of commission."

Whiskerpaw froze. "Do you think he's concerned that I don't know what to do?"

Moonshine avoided Whiskerpaw's gaze. "He didn't say those words exactly, but something along those lines." Sensing Whiskerpaw's displeasure, she added, "but I know that you know what you're doing, don't you?"

That wasn't completely true, for Whiskerpaw has never helped a queen give birth in her entire medicine cat training; Cragpaw and Adderpaw were already born before Whiskerpaw began her training six moons ago.

"Of course I know what I'm doing! I'm a medicine cat, after all," Whiskerpaw smiled. She nosed a few leafy herbs forward with her limp paw. "Here, these are borage and they'll help you when the milk comes."

Moonshine purred and obediently lapped up the herbs.

"I'll check on you tomorrow for more herbs," Whiskerpaw remedied. "Remember, all you need now is rest and relaxation and let me know immediately if you feel any pain."

"Thanks again, Whiskerpaw," Moonshine thanked with more confidence as Whiskerpaw left. She felt bad about lying to Moonshine like that, especially since the she-cat placed so much trust in her, and their supplies of borage and marigold desperately need to be re-filled. She couldn't do it on her own.

She required help from a different Clan.


	10. Chapter 8

**:D**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

"You want to what?" Moonshadow snarled. "You not only want to journey to a different Clan in times of rivalry, but you wish to expose our weakness to rival Clans! You dare call yourself a WaterfallClan cat?"

Whiskerpaw tried her best not to flinch from the agitated deputy's outburst. She quickly glanced at her father, who merely studied his deputy with unreadable eyes. "It's the best for Moonshine and her kits."

Moonshadow hissed, unable to respond to the topic of his daughter.

"Moonshadow does have a point," Goldenstar carefully responded. "Relations between the Clans right now…are difficult."

"I understand," Whiskerpaw insisted, "but I want to do what is best for the future of this Clan. We—I don't have sufficient herbs to treat the potential wounded and nursing."

"Then don't let me hold you back," the golden tabby tom replied. "Take a warrior with you, at least."

"No thanks," Whiskerpaw responded confidently. "I want to do this by myself."

Sensing that there was no point in arguing, Goldenstar reluctantly agreed with a firm nod. "Very well. When will you be leaving?"

"As soon as possible," the Clan leader's daughter meowed. "Dustberry can watch over Mintshard while I'm gone."

"Alright, but be careful," Goldenstar mewed cautiously. He gently pressed his nose into his daughter's neck fur. "I trust StarClan to bring you home safely."

"I promise," Whiskerpaw whispered. She gave her father a quick lick on the ear before leaving his den. She managed to catch Dustberry sharing tongues with her father, Nightstrike, by the fresh-kill pile. "Hey, Dustberry, I have to go to the other Clans for something. Do you mind watching over your brother while I'm away?"

"Sure thing!" the dusty gray tabby she-cat happily agreed. "How long do you think you'll be gone for?"

"Maybe a day or two."

Dustberry nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks." Before leaving the camp, Whiskerpaw decided to visit her mentor once last time. The black tabby tom was still resting in his nest peacefully, his breath light and his chest was raggedly rising and falling like a perpetual wave. His fluffy neck was covered in tightly bounded cobwebs and a poultice of whatever horsetail or dried oak she had left in storage. She gently pressed her muzzle against Mintshard's cheek for a heartbeat. "I promise I won't let you down, Mintshard."

A border patrol comprised of Meltingice, Reedleg and Adderpaw with Mousethorn leading at the front was just prepared to leave the camp through the reed barrier by the time Whiskerpaw left the medicine cat's den. "Hey, can I walk with you? I need to go to MeadowClan."

Mousethorn happily obliged with a nod. "Of course, Whiskerpaw. You are more than welcome to join us."

Reedleg and Adderpaw didn't seem so optimistic, for they glared thistles into Whiskerpaw's pelt; they most likely didn't want her to slow them down on their patrol. Meltingice didn't say anything, but merely gave the medicine cat apprentice a soft smile and padding alongside her.

"What do you need from MeadowClan?" Meltingice asked, hoping to strike up some sort of conversation as the patrol marched through the forest a tad bit slower than they normally do.

Whiskerpaw could practically hear Reedleg's and Adderpaw's annoyed thought going through their minds currently. "Just some herbs that we require," Whiskerpaw simply put.

Mousethorn glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Like catmint?" he croaked. She knew that he was referring to his mate's death the previous moon. Feathershade had died in her sleep due to greencough that didn't react with Mintshard's herbs. Fortunately for the Clan, it didn't spread so Mousethorn spent his mate's final hours next to her flank, whispering words of comfort in her ear.

"We have plenty of catmint now, Mousethorn," Whiskerpaw quietly replied. "She's resting in StarClan now."

Mousethorn didn't seem satisfied with that answer and he merely focused his gaze ahead. Unfortunately, there were no herbs to heal a broken heart.

It wasn't long until they ran into the river than swept through their territory towards RowanClan. The water seemed oddly low, lower than previous leaf-falls, but it was nothing to worry about; it was bound to rain eventually since it was almost leaf-bare.

Mousethorn lowered himself into the river, swimming easily across, his brown tail waving behind him like a slithering snake. Reedleg gently swam besides Adderpaw as they joined Mousethorn on the other side. Meltingice waited next to Whiskerpaw to see what she would do. Whiskerpaw leapt confidently into the river and gently doggy-paddled to the other side, gently kicking out her back legs and scooping up some with her front paws. Meltingice gracefully swam besides her, making sure she would make it safely across. The water wasn't too deep, but an inexperienced cat could easily drown.

Whiskerpaw dug her front claws in the mud and eased herself out of the water with a breeze. Her father had taught her and her littermates how to swim when they were kits playing the in the stream back at camp, but it's been a while since her last swim. The patrol waited until Whiskerpaw had caught her breath before continuing onward. The trees surrounding them grew sparser and sparser until the forest opened up to a meadow dominated by tall grasses. No a single tree specked the grassy territory and hills dominated the land as far as the eye could see.

After the border patrol finished marking the border, Mousethorn turned towards Whiskerpaw. "Do you want us to wait here for you?"

The pale golden she-cat shook her head. "No thanks. You four can go on ahead."

The ginger and brown tom nodded. "Good luck," he meowed before leading his patrol away.

Whiskerpaw gazed out over the grassy sea. She pondered on whether she should wait for a patrol to arrive or not, and decided on the latter; she was a medicine cat after all, and she had the right to visit the other Clans in a non-threatening way. Since she had no inkling as to where the MeadowClan camp was located, she chose to limp straight through, hoping to run into either their camp or a patrol.

It wasn't long until she heard the thundering of pawsteps and the racing blurs of pelts running behind the tussock grass did she know that she was caught. The leader of the patrol, a black tom with golden eyes, held his tail erect to stop his Clanmates. He gave the air a good sniff. "You're Goldenstar's daughter, aren't you? Whiskerpaw, right?"

"That's right," Whiskerpaw replied. She tried to lie her fur flat so she didn't seem like a threat. With the black tom was a dark fluffy tom, a white she-cat, and a tortoiseshell she-cat. She'd wished that she had paid more attention during the Gatherings so she could identify these cats.

"What does a medicine cat apprentice like you want?" the dark fluffy tom asked with a hint of a growl laced in his voice.

"I-I need to ask Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing something," Whiskerpaw replied with a stammer, "and to maybe get some herbs?"

"Leave her alone, Fuzzyface," the black tom ordered. "She's just a medicine cat. They have no borders."

"But spies do, Tadpoleclaw," the cat called Fuzzyface insisted. "You remember the threats that Rumblestar placed on WaterfallClan at the last Gathering. What if Goldenstar only sent her here so that she could scope out their next kill?"

"My father would never do that!" Whiskerpaw hissed. "I would never harm any cat."

"Let's just take her to Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing and get this over with," the white she-cat offered.

Tadpoleclaw nodded in agreement and kinked his tail over his back before vanishing into the tussock grass. The three other members of the patrol quickly darted after him, leaving Whiskerpaw behind.

"Hurry up!" a voice called from the grasses.

They expect me to run after them?! Whiskerpaw knew she didn't have a choice and quickly scampered after them. The four MeadowClan cats were several tail-lengths ahead and they didn't appear to slow down at all. Whiskerpaw forced herself to quicken her pace and not show any weakness like Moonshadow warned her not to. She'd never pushed herself this far before and she wondered if it would cause damage to her shoulder, but she didn't have time to worry about that. Through the grasses, around some boulders and over some puddles did the MeadowClan cats run, and Whiskerpaw followed not far behind. She was nearly five tail-lengths behind them when they halted in a large clearing. She nearly trampled over the white she-cat as she somewhat halted to a stop.

"Not used to running so fast, aren't ya?" the white she-cat purred in amusement as Whiskerpaw was left panting like a dog.

"Not…really…" Whiskerpaw panted. Her shoulder seared in pain, but she didn't want to show her weakness in front of an enemy Clan.

"Whiskerpaw, what are you doing here?" She recognized Pigeonwing's voice and noticed that he was staring at her with concerned eyes. "And did you…run all the way here?"

"I had…to keep up with…the patrol," Whiskerpaw still panted.

The gray and white medicine cat apprentice growled and reared towards the patrol. "Are you four rabbit-brains? You know Whiskerpaw can't run! She might've injured her shoulder while keeping up with you four."

"How were we supposed to know that?" the tortoiseshell she-cat asked.

"She's _Whiskerpaw_. Every cat knows that she has a permanently injured shoulder, for StarClan's sake, Sorrelpetal!" Pigeonwing hissed.

"Pigeonwing, Tadpoleclaw, what is going on here?" a voice called over and a gray tabby she-cat padded over with concerned blue eyes. "And what's Whiskerpaw doing here?"

"Froststar, these four rabbit-brains just made Whiskerpaw run all the way here," Pigeonwing insisted.

"Pigeonwing, it's okay," Whiskerpaw intervened. "I can fight my own battles." She turned her attention towards Froststar. "It's my fault, Froststar. I should've said something to them about my shoulder. I've only came here to speak with Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing and maybe receive some herbs."

"Tadpoleclaw, Fuzzyface, Lightberry, and Sorrelpetal," Froststar addressed with a slight growl. "Next time, nicely bring a guest over. Don't make them run all the way here."

"We're sorry, Froststar, Whiskerpaw," Tadpoleclaw apologized.

Froststar nodded, seeming pleased with the apology, and turned towards Whiskerpaw. "You are free to speak with Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing."

"Thank you, Froststar," Whiskerpaw meowed. Pigeonwing gently guide her with his tail towards a large boulder on the far side of the clearing with a gaping hole in it. She recognized the scent of herbs coming from the den as she and Pigeonwing neared it.

"How's your shoulder?" Pigeonwing whispered, his breath hot on her ear, as they entered the den. Several nests littered the den, one occupied by a black and gray tom. The back of the cavern dipped downward where Whiskerpaw detected the strong pungent scent of herbs.

"It's a little sore," Whiskerpaw mumbled as she sat down in the cold stone. There was no sign of the white medicine cat.

"Let me get you some daisy leaves," Pigeonwing offered. He vanished into the dip before Whiskerpaw could object. He reappeared a few heartbeats later with some small leaves with several extensions on them.

"Where's Frozenwhisker?" Whiskerpaw asked after she licked up the herbs. They tasted tangy in her mouth.

"He's out gathering some blackberry leaves for Maskclaw," Pigeonwing explained as he pointed with his tail towards the resting black and gray tom. "Poor Maskclaw here didn't see the hibernating bees' nest until it was already too late. He should be away for the rest of the day and maybe tomorrow; the only place to find blackberry leaves around here is beyond our territory. So…" He gave his front paw a quick lick. "You mentioned that you wanted some herbs?"

"Yes, if you can spare some," Whiskerpaw replied.

"What do you need them for, exactly?" Pigeonwing couldn't help but question.

Whiskerpaw wanted to answer him, but she couldn't risk exposing WaterfallClan's weakness while Maskclaw was there. She beckoned him into the herb storage with her tail. The dip opened up to a smaller cavern lined with dirt walls. It was roomy, but smaller than the open cave. Several herbs were stacked neatly about and there were two nests in the corner, draped in the MeadowClan medicine cats' scents.

Once she was sure that they had some privacy, Whiskerpaw spoke. "Mintshard…doesn't have a mild cough. He's severely injured on his neck and he hasn't woken up since before the Gathering. We're low on several important herbs, such as marigold, horsetail and tormentil. There's nothing left in our territory." She wanted to stop, but she couldn't cease the flowing words from her mouth. She needed to let some cat who she knew wouldn't judge her know. "I don't know how Mintshard or my Clan is supposed to survive the coming leaf-bare without these vital herbs. I know that I am exposing my Clan's weakness to you, but I just don't know what else to do!" She was left panting at the end, happy that she got all of that off her chest.

"I-I don't know what to say, Whiskerpaw," Pigeonwing murmured. He pressed his nose briefly against her cheek. "You are extremely brave, Whiskerpaw. I can't believe that you've managed your entire Clan by yourself during these hard times. Your Clan is lucky to have you around. What is Mintshard's condition?"

Whiskerpaw took a deep breath, trying to recall her mentor's wounds. "The wound on his neck is starting to smell odd and I fear an infection. The much smaller wounds are fine with the comfrey root that I've applied, but they could really use some marigold. Mintshard…hasn't woken up since the attack. I fear that he's lost too much blood…"

Pigeonwing rested his gray tail on her slim shoulders. "I'm sure Mintshard will be fine. He has you to look after him."

"Thanks, Pigeonwing," Whiskerpaw purred. She was glad to have an ally in him.

"Is there anything else?"

"Well…we have two expecting queens…"

"When are they due?"

"Moonshine's due soon, practically in a few days at the most, and Fallsriver will be due in little over a half-moon."

"That's great!" the gray and white spotted tom purred. "You know what to do, don't you?"

"Ah…no," Whiskerpaw admitted. "Cragpaw and Adderpaw were already born by the time I was made an apprentice. Mintshard briefly taught me what to do, but I've never done it myself or at all."

The MeadowClan medicine cat apprentice thought for a few heartbeats. "Why don't I stay with you in WaterfallClan that is until Moonshine's kits are born? I will help you when she's due."

"You would really do that?" Whiskerpaw asked. "But what about your Clan?"

"Frozenwhisker is fine without me for a few days," Pigeonwing insisted.

Whiskerpaw paused for a while. She was doing just fine on her own back home, but it would be nice to have some help. Unlike her Clanmates, Pigeonwing actually had a reason to help besides her limp.

"Don't worry, I'll still let you do most of the work," Pigeonwing joked when he noticed her pause and then his voice turned softer. "Whiskerpaw, I'm only doing this because I enjoy helping others. It's the reason why I became a medicine cat, after all."

"I don't see why not," Whiskerpaw finally agreed.

"Great!" Pigeonwing purred. He touched his nose to her ear for a heartbeat. "I better go ask Froststar to make sure." He disappeared with a flick of his tail out of the storage area. Whiskerpaw followed him until out of the den, but instead of following him to find Froststar, she sat outside the den. What would her Clanmates think when she brought in an enemy cat? Pigeonwing was different, though, and he was a medicine cat. Medicine cats aren't bound by borders.

A few heartbeats later, a tiny white kit hobbled over on three paws, holding out her front right paw out. "Who are you?" the tiny she-kit asked.

"My name is Whiskerpaw," she replied. "I'm the WaterfallClan medicine cat."

"You come from WaterfallClan?" the she-kit asked in awe. "That's so far away!"

"It is," Whiskerpaw purred.

The kit glanced uneasily at her paw. "Do you think you can fix my paw?"

"Let me see what I can do," Whiskerpaw replied as she glanced at the kit's pink pads. A tiny bramble thorn was latched onto one of the kit's soft pads. "Wow, that's a huge thorn! You must be really brave not to be scared." It was probably the smallest thorn Whiskerpaw's ever seen.

"Meadowdash always says how brave I am," the kit boasted. "She's says that I even braver than Graykit and Stormkit!"

"I bet you are," Whiskerpaw purred. "What is your name?"

"I'm Cloudkit!" the white she-kit purred as Whiskerpaw swiftly pulled out the thorn with her teeth. A tiny bit of blood spilled out, but Whiskerpaw promptly licked the pad clean. "Is it gone?"

"It's all gone," Whiskerpaw soothed. She imagined that Cloudkit was one of her sister's future kits. "You were super brave."

"Thanks!" Cloudkit purred. "I'm going to tell Meadowdash how brave I was! Thanks!" The little kit scampered off to find her next adventure.

"That was kind of you," a voice spoke from behind Whiskerpaw. She jumped and saw a gray tabby tom. At least Whiskerpaw knew who this tom was.

"Oh, thanks Flintstrike," Whiskerpaw replied uneasily. Had he'd been watching her this entire time?

The MeadowClan deputy gazed after Cloudkit, who'd returned to the bramble-protected nursery. "I overheard Pigeonwing asking Froststar if he could stay with your Clan for a few days."

"Are you allowed to overhear conversations like that?" Whiskerpaw questioned.

"If I didn't hear it the first time, my mate would've eventually told me anyway," Flintstrike replied.

"Oh," Whiskerpaw meowed. "Well, thanks, I guess."

Flintstrike nodded as Pigeonwing reappeared from speaking with Froststar. "She said that is was okay, but we have to leave after Frozenwhisker comes back, which, seeing that it is now nearly sunset, could be tomorrow. You'll have to stay overnight, if that is alright with you."

"That is fine. My Clanmates know that I'll be gone for a while," Whiskerpaw responded.

After a quick meal of rabbit (Whiskerpaw actually preferred fish, but she was nice enough not to say anything), she as sleeping in Pigeonwing's nest while the said tom was sleeping in his mentor's nest; Pigeonwing had said earlier that Frozenwhisker wouldn't appreciate the scent of fish drenched in his nest. Comforted by the gray and white tom's scent, Whiskerpaw did not experience a single nightmare.

* * *

**Ship. Ship. Ship. Ship.**


	11. Chapter 9

**Next chaptie! :D**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

**Stewey (c) BlueStrike2435**

**Dapple (c) TheSilentSpirits**

* * *

"Cat killers!" one cat yowled.

"Murderers!" shouted another.

Whiskerpaw tried not to reveal any signs of emotion at her verbal attackers, but she couldn't stop Pigeonwing from fluffing up his gray shoulder fur.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Pigeonwing whiskered through a mouthful of marigold.

Whiskerpaw glanced over at their RowanClan attackers. She and Pigeonwing finally got permission from Frozenwhisker, the MeadowClan medicine, for she and Pigeonwing to travel to WaterfallClan with some herbs. Frozenwhisker didn't looked pleased at the prospect of losing his apprentice for a few sunrises, but he agreed nonetheless. As they trekked through WaterfallClan territory, Whiskerpaw had to lead the way down the clearest path, since Pigeonwing was always fumbled over a bramble or a twig. Clearly the MeadowClan tom wasn't used to the crowded forest. Because of that, they had to take the easiest path near the RowanClan border and they were currently being tormented by a patrol of RowanClan cats.

"Why fuel their fire?" she murmured back.

"You killed Falconswoop!" a pale ginger tabby she-cat snarled from across the border. "Some cat will pay for killing my sister."

"There was WaterfallClan stench all over her body," a dappled gray she-cat hissed. "Now confess! Which one of you killed her?"

Whiskerpaw couldn't help but fluff up her fur, but she didn't say anything.

A pale gray tom suddenly leapt over the border and strutted up to Whiskerpaw. His rancid breath made the young she-cat flinch away. "Which one of you killed Falconswoop?"

Before Whiskerpaw could retort, a loud howl echoed off the withering trees. The RowanClan cats froze and worriedly glanced around. A silver and black mutt bounded through the forest and halted between Whiskerpaw and the pale gray tom. A nimble black and white tom gracefully leapt off his companion's back and snarled at the RowanClan tom.

"I believe you are on the wrong side of the border, 'mate," the newcomer stated with a slight growl. The dog behind him barked once more.

"U-Uh, y-y-yeah…" the pale gray tom stammered before he scurried away towards his side of the border. The rest of the patrol groveled at the sight of the tom and his mutt.

"Shoo!" the cat hissed, followed by the barking dog. The RowanClan patrol screeched in terror and scattered in their territory. The cat turned towards Whiskerpaw and Pigeonwing, the latter starring at them agape. "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine, Inkheart," Whiskerpaw purred, grateful for her uncle arriving to assist. "And you, too, Chip."

The silver and black mutt yipped happily.

"Actually, I was looking for you," the rogue began. "Let's get back to my camp. I'll explain there."

Knowing that her kin wouldn't seek her out if there weren't trouble, Whiskerpaw obliged and motioned for Pigeonwing to follow them through the forest.

"So…he's your kin?" Pigeonwing whispered. He yelped as he stumbled over a rock. He held back a growl. "Great StarClan, how can you see where you're going in this forest?"

"How about you keep your eyes open," Inkheart called from up ahead. "It helps."

Pigeonwing muttered something ungrateful under his breath.

"My father and Inkheart share the same mother," Whiskerpaw replied with a hint of sadness. Leopardnose's death was still fresh on her mind and she actually felt sorry for Rustpaw and Leafpaw.

Pigeonwing nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that explains the kin part, but what about the dog?"

"To make a long story short, Inkheart was adopted by dogs when he was a young kit. They've raised him and in return he protects them."

"And they don't attack you?" Pigeonwing questioned.

"Inkheart has taught them not to attack cats anymore," Whiskerpaw explained. "Instead, they hunt rabbits and squirrels in their own territory."

"Their own territory?" the gray and white tom asked.

"Outside of WaterfallClan territory, beyond our borders," Whiskerpaw replied with a nod. She motioned with her tail towards the scent borders they've just passed.

"Oh," Pigeonwing meowed.

They walked the rest of the way in silence with Inkheart and Chip in the lead. The white and black tom hadn't said anything during the remainder of their journey and that is what worried Whiskerpaw the most. Was some cat injured?

The trees opened up to a large clearing with several other dogs littered around, resting or playing. Chip let out a bark to announce that they've arrived. Immediately, the other dogs quickly got to their paws and happily surrounded Chip and Inkheart, welcoming them back with cheerful yips and whines.

"Do you know those dogs?" Pigeonwing whispered to Whiskerpaw.

She nodded. "The long-haired rowan male is Marmalade; the large brown female is Sally; the small, white long-haired female is Frost; the gray and white fluffy male with the curled tail is Jonas; the stout mottled brown male is Tank; the black sleek female is Cherry; and the smaller ginger female is Russet," Whiskerpaw replied. "I don't know who the spotted black and white dog or the small, brown, white and black dog are. They must be new."

"Interesting."

"…and do you know what the tom said next?" a voice different from the others meowed loudly from across the clearing. Whiskerpaw had failed to noticed that there were two cats in the clearing as well, resting on mossy nests. A silver marble tabby with bright green eyes was happily chattering away to an annoyed looking brown, gray and pale gold dappled she-cat. The tom was looking expectantly at the she-cat.

She rolled her amber and green eyes. "No, what?"

The silver tom's eyes lit up. "'Catch you later!'" He broke out laughing. "Do you get it, because he's a cat and he said 'catch you later' to a mouse!" He laughed once more. "Do you get it?"

The she-cat rolled her eyes once more. "Sure."

"Oh, look! Inkheart brought us visitors!" the silver tabby tom chirped, finally noticing the two Clan cats sitting a tail-length away. "Hello there! Who are you?"

"I'm Whiskerpaw and this is my friend, Pigeonwing," she introduced. "We're colleagues of Inkheart."

The tom nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, I see. Well, I'm Stewey and this is Dapple. Inkheart's helped us so much and we're grateful for his gifts of a warm nest, good food, and wonderful protection."

"But they are obnoxious," Dapple grumbled.

Stewey flicked his left ear. "You'll have to excuses Dapple; she's normally not this grumpy. She's actually very nice and sweet, but she hates the dogs." He motioned with his fluffy tail towards Tank and the black and white spotted dog playing with a large stick not far.

"I'm glad that you two have met Stewey and Dapple," Inkheart spoke as he padded up from behind them. "Stewey, Dapple, please tell them about your dreams."

"Dreams?" Whiskerpaw echoed and Pigeonwing looked just as confused.

"Yeah, we've been having some…disturbing dreams," Stewey explained. "Or…I think we are."

"Why's that?" Pigeonwing asked.

"I can only remember small fragments of the dream, but not enough that I know what it's about," the silver marble tabby tom went on. "And it's been happening for several moons now."

"What are the fragments about?"

"In some, I see a large mist that looks like it's made up of soot," Stewey meowed with a hint of fear laced in his voice. "In some others, I see glimpses of other cats covered in wounds." He leaned forward and showed the medicine cat's his left shoulder which had a long scar on it. "I woke up with this a while back."

"I thought that maybe you would know what these dreams are about," Inkheart offered. "Since you are a medicine cat."

"I-I honestly don't know what to think," Whiskerpaw admitted. "If you need help sleeping, I have herbs for that."

Stewey shook his head. "I think we're okay."

"Thank you, anyway," Dapple added.

"We better head back to camp, as well," Whiskerpaw meowed to Inkheart. "My father is probably worried."

Inkheart nodded. "Of course. Gather your supplies and we'll leave at once."

* * *

Whiskerpaw let out a sigh of relief once they crossed over the familiar WaterfallClan scent marks. She was home…where all of her Clanmates judged her.

"Thanks for your help, Inkheart," Whiskerpaw meowed to her uncle. They briefly touched noses. "If those two have any more dreams like that, let me know as soon as possible."

"Will do," the lean black and white tom replied. "I wish you and your mate safe travels."

"What? You mean Pigeonwing?" Whiskerpaw uncomfortably argued. She and her friend casted awkward glances. "He's a friend."

"Yeah…just friends," Pigeonwing added, a blush slowly appearing on his white cheeks. "Besides, medicine cats can't have mates. It's against their code."

"Oh, I didn't know that!" Inkheart insisted. "I was never taught the medicine cat code." He looked over them with warm golden eyes. "But you two do make a fine couple. Good-bye!" The sly tom disappeared into the bushes before the others could stop him.

"That crazy tom," Whiskerpaw muttered. She gently shouldered Pigeonwing towards the camp. "Come on; let's head back to camp."

Pigeonwing followed blindly behind her.

They were almost to the camp entrance of reeds when a loud voice called out, "Halt! Who goes there?"

"It's us, Whiskerpaw and Pigeonwing," Whiskerpaw called out.

Auburnwhisker's familiar face peered out of the reeds. "Oh, it's merely you, Whiskerpaw." He scented the air and growled. "Why is Pigeonwing here?"

"He's helping me with medicine cat duties," she briefly explained. "Can we come in?"

"Of course." Auburnwhisker's head vanished and Whiskerpaw led the worried MeadowClan medicine cat through the reeds. He flinched as several reeds smacked him in the face.

"Why are you on guard, Auburnwhisker?" Whiskerpaw asked once she made it through the reeds. Pigeonwing stumbled in a few heartbeats later.

"RowanClan has accused us of killing Falconswoop," Auburnwhisker explained. "And yesterday, word has spread that a ThistleClan cat named Runningclaw has perished as well."

"That's terrible!" Whiskerpaw gasped. "And we're being accused of killing them?"

"Both MeadowClan and WaterfallClan," Auburnwhisker grimly stated. "Goldenstar ordered that at least one cat must guard the entrance and question any cat who tries to come in." He paused for a heartbeat before continuing. "And…I've been having some strange dreams…I could've sworn I saw Runningclaw in it…but there are many brown tabbies in the Clans."

"I'll give you some poppy seeds to help you sleep tonight," Whiskerpaw offered.

The golden-brown tabby tom shook his head. "I think I'll be alright."

"Okay…well if you change your mind, you usually know where I am," Whiskerpaw meowed. She turned towards Pigeonwing. "I'll show you the medicine cat's den." She led the way towards the large tree. Several of its leaves had fallen while she was away, so Whiskerpaw swept them to the side with her tail before padding into the cavern below the tree. Mintshard was still asleep in his nest and a quick examination proved that a small infection that begun to infect his neck.

"I'll put some of the herbs away if you can treat him," Whiskerpaw whispered to Pigeonwing. The gray and white tom nodded and immediately took some marigold from his pile and begun to chew it up. Knowing that Pigeonwing could treat Mintshard at the moment, Whiskerpaw disappeared into the other side of the den behind some tree roots and placed the herbs in their respected hole. "That should hopefully last us through leaf-bare."

By the time she had returned, Pigeonwing was plastering a poultice of the marigold and horsetail they have gathered on Mintshard's neck. "He should be fine if we keep up the marigold and horsetail," he assumed.

"Thanks for coming here, Pigeonwing," Whiskerpaw breathed. "I can't do everything by myself around here."

"No problem, Whiskerpaw," Pigeonwing purred. "Though it might take me a while to get used to the trees and fish!"

"Don't worry," Whiskerpaw replied as she gently brushed his flank with her tail. "We'll have you feasting on fish so much that your Clanmates won't even recognize you!"

Pigeonwing laughed. "Hah, maybe so." He locked his golden eyes with hers for what seemed like an eternity.

It was Whiskerpaw who broke the contact. "Uh, let me show you the nursery. Moonshine should be kitting soon."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about…that," Pigeonwing mumbled. "We should probably go do that." He led the way out of the den but kept his tail on Whiskerpaw's shoulder. As she stepped into the bright light, she was overwhelmed by the sounds of screeching kits whose voices she did not recognize. They were wailing in pain, as if something was harming them.

"Are you okay, Whiskerpaw?" Pigeonwing's assuring voice snapped her out of her vision.

"I-I'm fine," Whiskerpaw muttered. She forced herself to smile. "Let's go check on the queens, shall we?"

As she limped on ahead, she couldn't help but wonder who those kits were and why they were screeching. The omen was strange, but its message was clear:

Something was coming.


	12. Chapter 10 - Prattlestar

**A hastily written chapter. Sorry! . And here's another chapter similar to Chapter 5, but this time it's about Prattlestar, leader of RowanClan now.**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Belong to me**

* * *

"Any news, Secretfaith?" Flashspark questioned as the border patrol returned from their scouting.

The pale ginger she-cat looked wary. "We caught a few cats passing by the border, along with them a MeadowClan cat. They refused to answer our questions about Falconswoop's demise, and sent Inkheart's patrol of dogs to chase us away."

"We weren't even on their side of the border!" her eldest daughter, Dapplespots, insisted, her dappled gray fur steadily rising.

"And their mutt threatened to attack me!" Yewclaw, also Secretfaith's eldest son, complained. "And I wasn't even doing anything…"

"What?!" their father, Dewdapple, snarled as he joined the conversation from the fresh-kill pile. When he saw that none of his family members were injured, the warrior turned his attention towards the deputy. "Flashspark, what are you going to do about this?"

The light brown tabby tom flicked his ear. "I'll just have to speak to Prattlestar about this."

"I already heard," Prattlestar replied from her perch upon a rowan branch above her warriors. The pale ginger tabby she-cat flicked her tail uneasily as she thought about their predicament. This would be her first issue as Clan leader to deal with since her mate and former leader—Rumblestar—died in his sleep last night. She could still remember seeing his frail body rise for the last time before falling as he exhaled.

"Prattlestar, if I may ask," Fadedheart intruded with a raise of his tail.

Prattlestar nodded for him to continue.

"Why not send a cat over there to spy on WaterfallClan?" the white and gray tom asked. He as a young warrior and was the son of Prideheart, a rogue who'd joined the Clan several moons ago. She recalled finding the rogue on their territory on one snowy night with three kits trailing after him. Prideheart had explained how his mate had died and he wanted a better future for their kits. Rumblestar had been wary at first, but even he could not deny more warriors. The three kits had suited well in the Clan: Fadedheart and Featherspots were loyal warriors and Crowstripe was their medicine cat apprentice.

Prattlestar shook her head. "They would find us immediately, Fadedheart, but it was an excellent idea."

"Prattlestar! Flashspark!" a frightened voice called from the forest, immediately alerting the Clan cats. A worried Sharppaw erupted from the undergrowth, fear scent wafting off of him in waves.

"What's the matter, Sharppaw?" Flashspark questioned the ginger tom as Secretfaith comforted him with licks. Prattlestar leapt down from her perch to meet the apprentice.

"There's a patrol of WaterfallClan cats coming here!" Sharppaw frantically squealed.

"Where is Tumbletwig?" Prattlestar demanded. Her son was Sharppaw's mentor and there was no sign of the dark brown tabby tom.

"He's leading them here with Emberdust and Russetflame," Sharppaw replied. "He told me to warn you. Goldenstar's with them."

"He's probably going to question why the border patrol was pestering his cats," Flashspark murmured into Prattlestar's ear. "We only wanted answers."

"Right," Prattlestar replied and raised her voice. "Cats, resume your normal duties. We cannot make it seem like we were expecting them."

The cats who had gathered in the clearing dispersed to what they were doing beforehand, but they remained within eyesight of the camp. Flashspark waited by the fresh-kill pile, pretending to sniff an old robin. Secretfaith and Dewdapple quickly shared tongues outside the warriors' den of brambles while Dapplespots' green eyes gleamed from the dark den. Fadedheart and Featherspots chatted outside the medicine cats' den, pretending to wait for Crowstripe to come out. Tinysnake and Gingerflower shared a raven while the elders sunned themselves outside their den. Yewclaw was practicing a hunter's crouch with Robinpaw while Eagleheart watched her kits—Soulkit and Wispkit—play with a moss-ball not far. Eventually the kits ceased their game and watched Robinpaw pretend to stalk a leaf. Prattlestar decided to resume her perch on the rowan branch where she had a perfect view of the camp entrance. Hiding herself in the shadows of the tree, she waited.

It wasn't long until she heard the crunching of paws stepping on leaves and saw Eagleheart's broad shoulders emerge into the camp. Goldenstar followed, looking cocky as perusal, along with Ryeleaf, Privetdrop and Stalkshine with Emberdust and Russetflame following from behind.

Prattlestar narrowed her amber eyes. She wasn't completely sure what to make of WaterfallClan's leader. Sure, he did save the Clans and lead them to their new home and all, but he acted as if he knew everything. She was also puzzled on how cats could've thought that Ryeleaf was his father; the two looked completely different, from the size of their heads to the shape of their paws. She also knew that Secretfaith had a thing for the golden tabby tom, but she didn't want to break her Clan even further. Whether he fathered one of Secretfaith's three litters was a mysterious yet to be solved and Prattlestar was determined to find out.

"Ah, Goldenstar," Flashspark welcomed with a purr. Prattlestar's brother was a master of deception. Clever tom. "Welcome to our camp. What brings you here?"

"I need to speak to Rumblestar," the tom replied. His warriors nervously fidgeted around as the RowanClan cats began to stop what they were doing and focus their attention on them. Goldenstar, however, did not show any signs of nervousness.

"I'm afraid that is not possible," Flashspark responded. "Rumblestar died two sunrises ago."

Goldenstar dipped his head in respect. "My apologizes then, for both him and your Clan. He was a great leader. Is Prattlecreek your new leader?"

"She is, but I do not know where she is at the moment," Flashspark lied. "She must be on a hunting patrol. May I take a message?"

"Just let her know that we will be increasing our patrols on our side of the border from now on," Goldenstar meowed tensely.

Flashspark tipped his head to one side. "And why would that be?"

"Your memory might be waning, but I shall remind you nonetheless," Goldenstar shot. "A couple of your warriors were harassing my daughter and another cat, and even stepped _over_ the border."

"Your warriors might've imagined it," Flashspark replied with a hint of a growl. "Our warriors obey the warrior code."

Privetdrop and Ryeleaf let out a hiss, but Goldenstar stopped them with a raised paw. "That doesn't erase the fact that you are accusing us of killing Falconswoop."

"Her body was covered in WaterfallClan scent when we found her in the woods," Secretfaith spoke up, padding to sit slightly behind Flashspark. "We know WaterfallClan scent when we detect it."

Prattlestar couldn't help but notice how tense the two cats seemed when close to each other. Judging from how they glared at each other, she figured that they had more than a few meetings—perhaps a fling?

"I assure you that none of my cats killed either Mistytail or Falconswoop," Goldenstar replied with a snarl.

"Well some cat did," Secretfaith sniffed. "My daughter and my sister are dead."

"I am fully aware of that," Goldenstar replied.

"But there as another cat with your daughter," Yewclaw spoke. "A MeadowClan cat."

"More specifically, Pigeonwing, the MeadowClan medicine cat apprentice," Dapplespots added. "Why do you need another medicine cat? Don't you already have two?"

"Rumors had been roaming around that something is up with Mintshard," Tumbletwig informed with an accusing snarl. "Has he passed leaving your useless daughter to treat the Clan?"

"What happens in WaterfallClan is none of the other Clan's business," Goldenstar promptly replied. "Those who gossip should be wise to stop before the rumors end up hurting themselves."

Tumbletwig took a challenging pawstep forward. "Is that a threat?"

"A mere warning."

"I think you are allying yourself with MeadowClan."

"WaterfallClan allies itself with no Clan."

"Are you saying your Clan is stronger than the rest?"

"Only that we can handle these falsehoods." He gazed over the rest of the enemy Clan. "But there are dangerous times ahead."

"Is that another threat?" Tumbletwig accused.

Goldenstar glared at the tom. "I don't know who died and made you leader, but I suggest you step back."

Tumbletwig let out a growl but obliged to the orders and took a few paces back.

"I was referring to dreams our medicine cats have been receiving," Goldenstar explained. "Dreams of smoke and blazes that destroy our camps. Have your medicine cats had similar dreams?"

"You have no right to stick your muzzle in our Clan's business, Goldenstar," Crowstripe called out from the medicine cats' den, echoing the leader's words.

A small, ginger and gray tom suddenly marched up to the WaterfallClan leader. "I don't really care about these dreams you are talking about," Tinysnake snarled, almost nose-to-nose with the surprised Clan leader, "but my sister is dead and I think you know that one of your cats killed Mistytail!"

Prattlestar froze and saw Secretfaith perform the similar motion. There were striking similarities between the two toms: same shaped ears, small muzzle, and familiar shoulders. One would almost believe that they were related. Perhaps their fling resulted in kits? It was still too early to confirm Prattlestar's observations, however.

"Tinysnake, step back!" Flashspark snarled. The tiny tom glared at Goldenstar once more before sulking back behind the deputy.

It was time for Prattlestar to make her appearance. "I think you've overstayed your welcome, Goldenstar," she meowed as she leapt down from her perch. Goldenstar's warriors seemed surprised, but Goldenstar, as usual, did not flinch.

"Congratulations on your leadership, Prattlestar," Goldenstar instead replied warmly. "I know that you will lead your Clan to become strong and reasonable." It was an obvious hint and Prattlestar chose to ignore it.

"Good-bye, Goldenstar," Prattlestar growled. "Emberdust, Russetflame and Prideheart, escort them back."

"We don't require an escort—"

"It wasn't an offer," Prattlestar interrupted. For once, Goldenstar didn't have a witty comeback and instead nodded in head in agreement. She watched as her warriors guided the WaterfallClan cats out of their camp. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Secretfaith whisper something into Tinysnake's ear, but she chose to ignore it. Prattlestar, however, wished that she could've shared her dreams with the WaterfallClan leader; her dreams about smoke and fire destroying her Clan from the inside.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUNNNN.**


	13. Chapter 11

**Bloop bloop.**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

"You're doing extremely well, Moonshine," Pigeonwing purred as he soothed the aching queen with a gentle stroke of his tail. "You're almost done."

The silver tabby queen let out a caterwaul as a black and silver lump dropped into the mossy nest.

"Quickly! Nip the sac and lick it," Pigeonwing instructed as Moonshine let out another moan.

Whiskerpaw promptly obliged to her friend's instructions. As she swiftly licked the first kit with long, but brisk, strokes, the newly born kit let out a mewl as it took its first breath. Whiskerpaw sighed. "It's a tom."

Moonshine struggled to catch a glimpse of her first son, but another contraction made her remain on her nest in agony.

Pigeonwing gently felt her intruding stomach with a paw. "One more, Moonshine," he explained.

Whiskerpaw gently carried the mewling tom-kit by the scruff near his mother's belly as Pigeonwing urged Moonshine to push once more. "There you go, little one," Whiskerpaw soothed as the kit immediately began to suckle. "Drink up."

The next and final kit was born immediately afterword and Whiskerpaw promptly dealt with the newborn kit. "A she-kit. One tom and one she-kit." After a few more licks, Whiskerpaw placed the solid gray she-kit next to her brother. "Congratulations, Moonshine."

Moonshine let out a purr as she examined her first litter. "Thank StarClan! They are so perfect!" She gently nuzzled them with her nose.

Tallstalk poked his head into the nursery entrance. "Are they here yet?"

"Tallstalk, come look! We have two kits!" Moonshine happily announced.

The proud father bounded towards his family's nest to examine his kits, nearly squishing the two medicine cat apprentices. "They'll make fine warriors, Moonshine," the gray tabby tom purred. He gently nuzzled his mate's forehead.

"Let's give them some privacy," Pigeonwing whispered into Whiskerpaw's ear. Whiskerpaw agreed with a nod and the two friends quietly made their way out of the crowded nursery. They were greeted by the rest of the Clan who waited patiently for the exciting news.

"Is Moonshine alright?" Moonshadow worriedly asked.

"How are her kits?"

"How many?"

"What do they look like?"

"Have they chosen names yet?"

"Can I sneak a peek?"

Whiskerpaw raised her tail for silence. "Moonshine delivered two kits: one tom and one she-kit. They don't have any names yet, and are healthy."

"What do they look like?" Adderpaw asked.

"The tom is a black and silver tabby while the she-kit is gray," Pigeonwing explained to the young apprentice.

"But right now they all need rest," Whiskerpaw explained, noting how late it was already. The moon was nearly over the tree-tops that marked their territory.

"You did really well, Whiskerpaw," Pigeonwing whispered into her ear as they padded towards the medicine cats' den once the cats dispersed into their dens.

"Thanks," Whiskerpaw purred. Pigeonwing was far different than Mintshard. Her old mentor hardly gave her any complements, while Pigeonwing seemed to show signs of approval at practically everything she did. It was a nice change, however, she couldn't wait for her mentor to recover. "It was easier than I suspected."

"See! That's the spirit!" Pigeonwing insisted as he gently shouldered Whiskerpaw. "Now when your sister's ready to give birth, you'll know exactly what to do."

"I suppose…"

Pigeonwing halted at his companion's worried voice. "What's wrong?" he questioned.

"Eh, it's nothing really," Whiskerpaw insisted as she continued padded towards the medicine cats' den. She disappeared into the cavern beneath the tree. "Just some littermate issues."

"I get it," Pigeonwing replied nonchalantly as he disappeared after her. "Sorrelpetal and I often get in each other's pelts, but we're still friends at the end of the day."

"I'm afraid this is more than a little sibling rivalry."

"What are you implying?"

Whiskerpaw hesitated for a few heartbeats, unsure if she were ready to trust Pigeonwing to let him know of her personal issues. A quick glance into his assuring and amicable golden eyes helped the she-cat make up her mind. "A quarter moon ago, I accidentally got into an argument with my sister about her having kits so soon. We haven't spoken since."

"Then you should apologize to her immediately!" Pigeonwing insisted with a gleeful yowl. "Well…not right now," He gestured to the night sky outside with a whisk of his tail, "but tomorrow could work. The bond between littermates is a precious thing and you shouldn't let something rabbit-brain as a disagreement get in the way of you two being friends." He gently pressed his nose against her ear. "But you look exhausted. Let's get some rest and we'll worry about it in the morning."

* * *

Whiskerpaw wasn't sure what had woken her up, but it was something important. She gently lifted her head and glanced around the den. Pigeonwing's slumbering form was less than a tail-length away. She heard Mintshard's usual ragged breath from his nest two tail-lengths away. Perhaps it was his snoring? She carefully got to her paws and limped over to check on his wounds. They were healing nicely due to the fresh supply of marigold and horsetail. The sickening scent of the infection was nearly gone.

Then if it wasn't her worries for Mintshard that hadn't awoken her, then what did?

The sound of scuffling outside nearly made the young apprentice leap out of her small ginger speckled pelt. Some cat was walking outside. Whiskerpaw was puzzled; it had to be nearly past moon-high and who in their right mind would want to be up this late?

Careful not to wake up Pigeonwing, she poked her head out of the cavern to see who was up. They could be requiring a medicine cat's attention if they weren't feeling well. She recalled how Mintshard nearly shredded Cedarstep out of fear when the senior warrior surprised him in the middle of the night because of an upset stomach.

To her surprise, Whiskerpaw saw her eldest brother, Springfox, padding towards the camp entrance. She could see the cobwebs that laced around his shoulders due to a mysterious set of wounds.

Nightstrike was guarding the camp entrance that night and he calmed down when he merely saw Springfox walking towards him. "Springfox," the senior warrior greeted with a hint of relief in his voice, "what are you doing awake at this time of the night?"

The brown tabby tom did not reply, but merely continued on walking.

Nightstrike seemed confused. "Erm, Springfox? Where are you going?"

Again, Springfox didn't answer his reply.

Now Nightstrike seemed agitated and stomped right in front of the younger tom to prevent him from leaving the camp. "Look, I know you're the Clan leader's son and all, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!"

Springfox made eye contact with the black tom with a white spot on his back. Nightstrike gasped before collapsing onto the ground. Springfox roughly kicked his body aside before continuing onward into the forest.

Once she was sure her brother was gone, Whiskerpaw darted out from her hiding place to Nightstrike's side. "Nightstrike?" she whispered as she gently nosed the black tom's paw. The former SavageClan tom was still breathing, but was still in a deep sleep. Any cat who hadn't witnessed the past few minutes would've thought that the senior warrior was merely slacking off and taking a nap. "You seem fine—thank StarClan for that—but I need to find Springfox." She had a bad feeling about what her brother was doing. After gently curling Nightstrike's paws under his belly to make it seem like he was asleep, Whiskerpaw darted into the forest.

* * *

It wasn't hard to detect her brother's scent trail and judging by the current direction he was taking, Springfox was heading towards RowanClan. As if tensions weren't high enough already.

She kept a steady pace with her brother, which wasn't difficult since he was walking the pace of an elder, but she remained at least two fox-lengths behind. After witnessing what Springfox did to Nightstrike, Whiskerpaw was frightened at the prospect of what her brother might do to her.

Suddenly, and out of nowhere, Springfox disappeared. Whiskerpaw revealed herself from the ferns and saw that her brother had just…vanished. His scent still remained, but it didn't advance anywhere. She heard rustling from up ahead and quickly resumed her hiding place in the ferns.

"Stupid WaterfallClan cats," a voice muttered as the cat kicked a pebble in Whiskerpaw's direction. "Why couldn't they live somewhere less wet?"

Whiskerpaw carefully peeked out from the fronds and saw Tinysnake, the small gray and ginger tom of RowanClan. What was he doing here in WaterfallClan territory? Whiskerpaw didn't have long to muse over that, for she saw a pair of luminous and vibrant golden eyes peering in the shadows behind the approaching tom.

Whiskerpaw didn't have to be the smartest cat amongst the Clans to know that her brother was going to murder Tinysnake.

"Tinysnake, watch out!" Whiskerpaw shouted out a warning. The gray and ginger tom gazed in her direction and let out a low growl.

"You're Whiskerpaw, aren't you?" Tinysnake snarled, completely oblivious to the menacing eyes slowly approaching from behind. "What are you doing out late this night?"

Whiskerpaw was about to respond when sharp and white claws erupted from the shadows and wrapped themselves around Tinysnake's small neck. They dug into his fur and dragged outward, creating deep scratches with crimson blood steadily seeping out onto the forest floor. Tinysnake's mouth opened, as if he were to caterwaul out in pain, but no sound came out. He steadily collapsed to the ground, drenching his pelt in his own blood.

"How dare you!" Whiskerpaw suddenly shouted. She didn't know where this unexpected bout of courage came from, but she instantly regretted it when her brother turned his hazardous gaze onto her. There was something different about her brother's form, besides the saliva dripping from his maw and the short ragged breaths that escaped his throat, but his once golden eyes were now a bright pale yellow and unfocused. Whiskerpaw could not see her brother's lively spirit inside those eyes; it was as if Springfox was…possessed by something…or someone.

"Springfox…it's me," Whiskerpaw slowly spoke. Her brother didn't say anything, let alone show any emotions, as he continued to pant with his mouth open at her. "Your sister…Whiskerpaw."

Suddenly, her brother lunged at her throat, but Whiskerpaw quickly sidestepped to the left, but Springfox didn't attack after that. Instead, he let out a menacing cackle that echoed off the forest's bark.

"Ah, I will not waste my energy with your pathetic form," the voice spoke, but Whiskerpaw did not recognize her brother's voice. It was a different cat who was speaking through her brother. The voice wasn't warm, but instead it was a cold as ice and it sent chills down her spine. Who was speaking? "Instead of killing you…why don't I give you a vision of the coming future? It wouldn't be as exciting if the Clans weren't somewhat prepared." His luminous pale golden eyes illuminated more until Whiskerpaw was forced to close her eyes and look away.

When she reopened her eyes, Whiskerpaw was surrounded in a blaze that consumed the forest around her. She heard the pain-filled screeches of her Clanmates, but was unable to detect where they were. The smoke was extremely thick, causing Whiskerpaw to cough. This blaze was like her originally dream over a quarter-moon ago, except this one seemed more extreme.

A tiny howl to her right alerted Whiskerpaw of another presence in this nightmare. A little gray she-kit was mewling in worry, her eyes still closed and her pelt still matted. This was a new-born kit and it resembled Moonshine's newly born daughter. What was she doing in this hell?

Whiskerpaw didn't have to wait long for her question to be answers, because not a heart-beat passed before the flames engulfed the poor helpless kit's body. More frightened and pain-filled screeches came from the burning kit and Whiskerpaw was helpless to do anything. Eventually, the screeches died away as the kit was turned into a charred corpse. More kittens being burned surrounded Whiskerpaw. She wanted to yowl and block her ears from their horrible cries, but the yowls echoed in her brain until she just wanted to sleep.

Whiskerpaw awoke from her scare with heavy pants and fluffed up fur. It was nearly sun-high and almost time for the dawn-patrol to arrive. After quickly glancing around she noticed with a sigh of relief that her "brother" was gone. However, Tinysnake still remained. She swiftly checked his unmoving form and was pleased to see that he was still breathing.

"I don't have anything!" Whiskerpaw realized with a meow. She frantically tried to apply pressure to his neck wound and she saw that there weren't any cobwebs nor herbs in sight.

"Allow me to assist," a smooth and calm voice meowed from behind. Whiskerpaw turned and saw a large white tom with bright blue eyes.

"W-Who are you?" Whiskerpaw stammered, not taking her paws off of Tinysnake's neck.

"My name is Tallcloud," the tom spoke gently. "My friends and I were sent here to help."

* * *

**Now we're going to introduce the characters from people who've won stuff on other sites. Tallcloud (c) AnnMY (dA)**

**Yeah, the last section got kind of...gory, I guess. ^^; I've been having nightmares lately so I guess that's where that came from. **


	14. Chapter 12

**Whooo! Another chapter! 3**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunters**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me **

**Tallcloud (c) AnnMY [DeviantArt]**

**Icepelt (c) RibbonWren [DeviantArt]**

**Frostblaze (c) Frostfern10 [WattPad]**

**Hykura (c) Demi-Wizard [DeviantArt]**

* * *

"Tallcloud?" Whiskerpaw questioned. She wasn't too sure if she could trust this strange tom. His large, white frame was quite visible in the faint dawn light. His light blue eyes were like tiny pools of water that seemed to swirl with wisdom beyond his years. Who was this odd tom? "That sounds like a Clan name."

Tallcloud shook his head. "You are correct, small medicine cat, but now isn't the time to discuss where I can from. We need to help this young warrior." He pointed with his muzzle towards Tinysnake's limp and bloody form. Whiskerpaw's paws were still applying pressure on the tom's neck, trying to prevent more blood from spilling out.

"But I don't see anything around that could help us," Whiskerpaw stated as she glanced around at the trees. There were no herbs nor cobwebs in sight. "What are we going to do?" She looked at her left and was surprised to see that Tallcloud was gone. "Tallcloud?" He must've gone to find some herbs. She focused her attention on Tinysnake; the mottled gray and ginger tom was faintly breathing, but the wound on his neck required immediate attention.

Whiskerpaw was alerted by rustling leaves and saw Tallcloud pad out from the bushes carrying long green, leafy stalks with several bunched up golden flowers at the end.

"You have goldenrod?" Whiskerpaw gasped. She knew that she and Mintshard could rarely get their paws on the valuable herb, which grew on the far outskirts of MeadowClan territory. Sometimes they were lucky to find some of the precious herb grown on their side of the border.

Tallcloud nodded. "And my friends brought some more valuable herbs as well."

"Friends?"

Three cats stepped into the clearing, each carrying an offering of herbs. The youngest appeared to be a light gray and white tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes and she was carrying fronds of horsetail. An older rose-gray and white tabby she-cat with ice-blue eyes was carrying an offering of cobwebs and a dark blue tabby tom with a white underbelly and chest with amber eyes was offering an offering of precious marigold.

Tallcloud beckoned them closer with a flick of his long-haired tail as he padded towards Whiskerpaw. He spoke after he set down his goldenrod next to Whiskerpaw. "These are Frostblaze, Icepelt and Hykura," he meowed as he nodded to each of his companions. He began chewing up the goldenrod briskly. The cats named Frostblaze and Hykura followed his lead and they all plastered their poultices on Tinysnake's neck, motioning for Whiskerpaw to remove her paws beforehand. Meanwhile, Icepelt stuck her stack of cobwebs on the RowanClan tom's neck, keeping the medicine in place. It was obvious that these cats has somewhat of medical knowledge.

"That should hold," Tallcloud meowed after sniffing the wound. "We should get him someplace…safer. Is your camp near?"

"It's just beyond the reeds a few tree-lengths that way," Whiskerpaw meowed, pointing with her tail behind her. "How are we going to get Tinysnake there?"

"We'll carry him." Tallcloud and Hykura then proceeded to lift Tinysnake between their shoulders with Icepelt helping from behind to make sure they didn't drag his body over something hazardous. Whiskerpaw led the way and Frostblaze padded alongside her.

Frostblaze smiled. "Hi! What's your name?"

"It's Whiskerpaw," the medicine cat apprentice replied softly.

The light gray and white tabby loner glanced at Whiskerpaw's stiff right leg. "What happened to you?"

"Oh…some accident a long time ago," Whiskerpaw rushed. Why waste time on mournful memories? "Why does your name sound like a Clan name?"

"Oh, Tallcloud and I—" the amicable she-cat began, but was cut off by said tom.

"We'll tell them once we get to their camp," Tallcloud spoke briskly.

Frostblaze casted a regrettable gaze. "Sorry."

"Sometimes it's best to only share the story once," Whiskerpaw agreed, but she couldn't help but wonder where these cats came from. If they were from different Clans, they why did they leave?

The tall reeds that surrounded the camp soon came into view and Whiskerpaw faintly heard the sounds of her Clanmates going out their usual morning.

"Nightstrike, you fell asleep on guard duty?" she heard Otterwhisker scold the black and white tom.

"I didn't!...did I? I honestly don't remember anything from last night."

"Probably because you were fast asleep."

"I'm sorry, Goldenstar. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Good. We can't risk having our camp unguarded during the night. Moonshadow, organize the day's patrols and remember to keep a close eye on RowanClan."

"Yes, Goldenstar."

Whiskerpaw heard her Clanmates stop talking when they detected their scents. A heartbeat later, Whiskerpaw and the strange cats emerged through the reeds and into the camp. Moonshadow and Goldenstar were right up front to greet them, looking quite furious. The rest of the Clan gathered around cautiously, unsure how to react with a larger number of strange cats than they are used to seeing.

"Before you say anything, let me and these toms through," Whiskerpaw started just when her father was about to open his jaws to speak. "Tinysnake requires immediate medical attention." She motioned for Tallcloud and Hykura to follow her with a flick of her tail.

"Whoa, you're bringing an enemy cat into our camp?" Moonshadow questioned.

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Cedarstep asked. "Now his Clan can follow his scent trail to attack us, or accuse us of cat-napping!"

"Tinysnake needs a medicine cat," Whiskerpaw insisted while motioning for Tallcloud and Hykura to drop Tinysnake in the medicine cats' den. Pigeonwing popped out of the den underneath the tree and guided the two rogues. "We can't just drag him over to the RowanClan border. He'll never make it. Just send a cat over there to let them know before they attack us or something."

Goldenstar flicked his tail to gain Ryeleaf's attention. "Head over to RowanClan and let them know we have Tinysnake, who is severely injured. Don't cross into their territory without their patrol."

Ryeleaf nodded his head. "On my way." He swiftly left the camp.

Moonshadow gave his leader an odd look. "Only one cat?"

"Ryeleaf is sensible and won't get into mischief. More than one cat may resemble a threat," Goldenstar explained. He turned his attention towards Icepelt and Frostblaze, along with the returning Tallcloud and Hykura. "Now…what brings you to our camp?"

Tallcloud took a few paces forward and dipped his head in respect. "My name is Tallcloud and it is an honor to meet the alleged Goldenstar."

"How do you know who he is?" Cedarstep questioned with a hint of a warning in his voice.

"Tales of how StarClan granted him the power to defeat Smoke Claw many moons ago has spread throughout the land," Tallcloud explained. "Many cats look to it as a sign of inspiration. I see it as nothing but luck and chance."

"What do you mean?" Meltingice dared to ask.

"I mean, that it wasn't StarClan who granted him the power to defeat Smoke Claw; Goldenstar did it himself. The prophecy was just a simple prediction. But." The white tom paused to study the unamused gazes that surrounded him. "I am not here to insult you—yet—my colleagues and I are here to rest before continuing onward."

"Are you part of a Clan?" Leafpaw asked. "You have Clan names."

"I'm from a Clan called RiverClan," Tallcloud replied. "Icepelt is from ShadowClan and Frostblaze is from ThunderClan. Hykura is a rogue who later joined us. We all share in the same ideals."

"And what ideals would that be?" Cliffjumper growled. Whiskerpaw shared his tension; something wasn't right about these cats that sent a shiver down Whiskerpaw's spine.

"We can discuss those later," Tallcloud simply meowed. "Right now, can we have some fresh-kill? We are hungry after our long trek."

"Feel free to help yourselves, Tallcloud," Goldenstar warily meowed.

"I don't trust them as far as I can throw them," Whiskerpaw heard Moonshadow fervently whisper to her father. "There's something…off…about these strangers."

"Hopefully, they will regain their strength and move along," Goldenstar replied.

"Hey…Whiskerpaw, right?" Frostblaze asked. Whiskerpaw shook her head and was surprised to see what Frostblaze as sitting right next to her while the rest of her friends were picking out prey by the fresh-kill pile. "How is that tom doing?"

It took Whiskerpaw a few heartbeats to figure out who the loner as talking about. "Oh, Tinysnake?" she asked, receiving a nod from the gray and white tabby she-cat. "I assume that he is fine. Did you want to check on him?"

Frostblaze nodded. "I just don't like seeing cats injured," she replied as Whiskerpaw lead the way towards the large willow tree. "How did he get injured, anyway?"

"I didn't see," Whiskerpaw lied. Springfox had disappeared since he, or whatever was controlling him, disappeared this early morning. She had not seen him in the camp at all. Whiskerpaw ducked her head into the burrow with Frostblaze right behind her and was pleased to see that Pigeonwing was finishing up treating Tinysnake. Pigeonwing expertly plastered some marigold and cobwebs on the tom's neck before greeting the she-cats.

"Hey, Whiskerpaw! Is this one of our visitors?" the gray and white tom purred.

"Pigeonwing, this is Frostblaze," Whiskerpaw explained with a wave of her tail. "She and her group are resting before they continue their journey."

"Journey?" Pigeonwing echoed. "Where are you going?"

"Tallcloud is a roamer," Frostblaze explained. "He left RiverClan because his own personal morals disagree with the warrior code. He tried to convince the other Clans to change their ways, but they wouldn't, so he left to learn more about the world. Icepelt and I joined him because we agree. Hykura later joined as well."

"What are his morals?" Pigeonwing dared to ask.

"He believes that the stars don't matter," Frostblaze explained. "That one cat should choose their own destiny and whatever happens, happens. He also believes that a cat should choose what Clan they want to live in and have the freedom to visit friends and relatives in other Clans, without the constraint of the borders and among other ideals. I'm pretty sure he'll be glad to tell you about it if you ask."

"Interesting." Was all Pigeonwing had to say. He turned his attention back towards Whiskerpaw. "Tinysnake is stable at the moment. His neck wound is deep, but it should heal relatively quickly since we treated him promptly."

"How long do you think before he's able to walk?" Whiskerpaw asked.

"Well…it's too early to say, but maybe a sunrise or two," Pigeonwing replied.

"Good, because we have a Clan out there who's dying to get rid of him as fast as possible," Whiskerpaw lightly joked. She made her way to check on Mintshard, who still laid unconscious in his nest.

Pigeonwing paused for a moment. "You know…he and Tinysnake share, basically, the same wound. Though you didn't have the right herbs at the time unlike today, but…" He trailed off, knowing that it would hurt Whiskerpaw even more. "He should wake up any day now."

"I know."

Pigeonwing suppressed a small and sad moan and resumed checking on Tinysnake.

"Um…excuse me?" Frostblaze spoke up from her position near the entrance of the cavern. "Who's Mintshard?"

"He's my mentor," Whiskerpaw briskly explained. "He got injured nearly a half-moon ago. I'm WaterfallClan's sole medicine cat now."

"Then…who's Pigeonwing?" Frostblaze asked. "Another medicine cat?"

"I'm visiting from another Clan to help Whiskerpaw out," Pigeonwing explained.

"Ahh…" Frostblaze meowed. A yowl of her name a heartbeat later and the young she-cat was gone.

* * *

"It's a nice place you got here," Tallcloud spoke from the entrance of the medicine cats' den, the same place Frostblaze stood that sunrise.

Whiskerpaw glanced over from organizing the day's collection of herbs. She and Pigeonwing spent the entire sunhigh gathering what was left of the daisy and ragwort leaves for Tinyspirit's stiff joints. She was busy sorting them into their corresponding storage holes at the moment.

"Thanks…" Whiskerpaw muttered as she slid the rest of the daisy leaves into the hole before covering it up with fronds of reeds. She still didn't completely trust the strange tom. "What can I do for you, Tallcloud?"

"Oh, I just wanted to talk," Tallcloud innocently replied as he gazed around the hollow.

"About what?" the pale speckled ginger she-cat questioned. She didn't feel comfortable with this rogue in her den.

The white rogue steadied his bright blue gaze on Whiskerpaw's golden ones. "I know about the fire."

Whiskerpaw froze. "W-What do you mean? What fire?" Of course she knew what he was talking about; the prophecy that she received from Quailfeather nearly a half-moon ago that foretold a terrible blaze. How could Tallcloud, the tom who denied any power that StarClan possessed, have known about the prophecy?

"The fire that is soon to come," Tallcloud replied. "It's in the air; the crisp but dry breeze that blows through the dying trees, and the lack of water in the earth, and the brisk and moist wind and storm clouds that gather on the horizon. These are tell-tale signs of an incoming fire."

"I guess that you must've had a lot of fires where you came from?" Whiskerpaw asked.

"I have learned how to read the weather during my travels," the long-haired white tom meowed. "I also know that it was your brother—Springfox, was it?—who injured the cat we found."

"How do you know that?" Whiskerpaw gasped.

"I have my ways," Tallcloud grimly replied. He suddenly leaned closer and brought his muzzle towards the apprentice's ear. His white frame towered over Whiskerpaw's slim one. "Listen closely, Whiskerpaw. Something terrible is happening to every single Clan, and it will eventually destroy the cat you care the most about. Your only hope is to turn towards the stars."

"But I thought you said that StarClan was basically useless?" Whiskerpaw asked. His warning sounded ominous and it frightened the poor she-cat. She didn't have time to worry whether it was true or not.

"They have no power to decide anything, but that doesn't mean they don't exist," Tallcloud explained. "They can be useful for some things. I urge you to speak with them."

"The half-moon is in a few sunrises," Whiskerpaw offered. "I could talk to them then—"

"It'd be too late by then," Tallcloud interrupted with urgency in his voice. "Try speaking to them tonight, here. Let them come to you." He straightened himself, but kept his blue gaze on Whiskerpaw's. "The Clans are about to face their biggest battle: with their own kin." Tallcloud then proceeded to turn around and exit the den. "Don't say that I didn't warn you," he meowed as he left.


	15. Chapter 13

**Wheeee! New chapter!**

**Tallcloud (c) Ann-MY (deviantART)**

**Icepelt (c) Ribbon-Wren (deviantART)**

**Hykura (c) Demi-Wizard (deivantART)**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

_There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Whiskerpaw glanced around the empty WaterfallClan camp, not a cat in sight. Her Clanmates' usual scents weren't even in the camp! The camp was surprisingly dark and gloomy, as if a thick fog has permanently settled into the abandoned camp._

_ "__Quailfeather?" Whiskerpaw called out. "Are you here?" She couldn't detect any signs of her medicine cat friend, or of any StarClan cat. They were oddly quiet. Suddenly, in one blink later, the camp flared in a massive blaze, trapping Whiskerpaw. The smoke coiled around her, threatening to suffocate her. The yowls of her Clanmates echoed off the scorching trees, but there was no familiar cat in sight. There was, however, a cat standing a few tail-lengths away from Whiskerpaw, but she could see right through him. He seemed to be made of the smoke that filled the clearing and the only thing that was solid were his white, soulless eyes. _

_Whiskerpaw felt chills go down her spine as the strange cat locked his captivating eyes with hers. She couldn't move; her paws were rooted to the ground. Suddenly, the smoky cat leapt into the air with his claws outstretched. Whiskerpaw was still fixated on his eyes when the smoky cat nearly grabbed her…_

…but her body being shaken awake by Pigeonwing saved her life.

"Whiskerpaw, are you alright?" Pigeonwing asked with concern. "You were shaking and moaning in your sleep, so I thought I should wake you up."

"Y-Yeah…I'm fine," Whiskerpaw stammered, her voice still shaking. Her dream felt so real, and even the comfort of her own nest didn't satisfy her trembles.

"Was it a nightmare?"

Whiskerpaw shook her head. "No…just something I need to think about." She shifted around in her nest, trying to get comfortable. "Thanks for waking me up, though. I appreciate it."

As she closed her eyes, she felt a warmth breath in her ear. "Any time, Whiskerpaw."

* * *

Springfox reappeared in the camp the next sunrise with multiple claw wounds and dried blood plastered on his body. He didn't speak as Leapingriver and Cedarstep escorted him to the medicine cats' den. Whiskerpaw couldn't wait to get the moment to badger her brother, but she knew that she had to wait until his wounds were treated. Fortunately for her, Pigeonwing was checking on Moonshine's kits, since the stubborn queen insisted that the MeadowClan medicine cat apprentice knew more than Whiskerpaw.

Soaking some moss in a pool of water, Whiskerpaw gently soaked up the dried blood off her brother's sticky pelt. Springfox refused to say anything and only stared at his bloody paws. He even didn't react when Whiskerpaw cleaned up a deep claw wound on his right flank, the flesh open and exposed to the world.

"That should do it," Whiskerpaw stated once she finished plastering some marigold and cobwebs on the final leg wound. Springfox was less injured than she had previous thought, for he was mostly covered in blood and only had three wounds that required treatment; the wound above his left eye would most likely remain permanent as a scar. Whoever Springfox was fighting, it seemed like they didn't put up much of a fight, or he mostly dominated. "You'll have to remain in here for the rest of the day. I'll fetch you some fresh-kill later." She settled down so that her gaze leveled with his. The brown tabby tom refused to make eye contact and kept his gaze on his now-clean paws. "Want to tell me what happened?"

Springfox finally slowly lifted his gaze so that his golden eyes stared into hers. "What do you mean?" he softly ask.

"You were last seen two nights ago," Whiskerpaw replied. "No cat knows where you went until you surprisingly showed up in the camp this morning covered in blood. Were you in a fight?"

Springfox shrugged. "I-I don't know."

Whiskerpaw gave a puzzled look. "What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know where you disappeared off to yesterday?"

"I'm honestly telling the truth," Springfox insisted. Whiskerpaw was surprised to see truth and hurt in her brother's eyes, instead of his usual cockiness. Something terrible must've happened to break her brother's bountiful spirit. "I don't know what happened."

"Springfox…" Whiskerpaw began. "The last time I saw you, you were…different. Your eyes were a soulless white and your voice…wasn't yours. Something, or someone, was inside of you. I'm not completely sure, but last night I had a dream of that same cat, instead he was made of smoke."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Springfox repeated, but this time, his eyes diverted briefly to his left.

He was lying and something from her previous statement brought back some sort of memory.

"Are you sure…?" Whiskerpaw pressed. She desperately wanted to know what her brother suddenly recalled, but she didn't want to up bring unwanted memories.

"Positive."

She was positive he was lying.

Whiskerpaw shrugged. "If you say so." She got up on her paws and proceeded towards the entrance of the den. "What did you want from the fresh-kill pile?"

"Oh, a pike would be pleasant." There was something odd about his voice…something that reminded her of that previous time she'd seen her brother when he was 'possessed', but that quickly went away when he thanked her. Whiskerpaw couldn't help but worry about the fate of one of the kits—a kit named Pikekit.

Whiskerpaw was nearly a tail-length away from the pile of fish when Cragpaw and Adderpaw bounded up to her. Cragpaw looked worried while her sister seemed furious and slightly confused.

"Hey, Whiskerpaw," Adderpaw began. "Cragpaw says that there's going to be a fire soon."

"What makes her say that?" Whiskerpaw asked. The only cats who knew about the fire from the prophecy besides herself were Goldenstar, Mintshard and Tallcloud. Perhaps Tallcloud decided that it was best to warn the Clan?

"She heard you and Tallcloud talk about one last night," Adderpaw replied. "Is it true?"

"What happens in privacy in the medicine cats' den is no cat's business," Whiskerpaw angrily argued and glared at Cragpaw. "Don't tell me that you blabbered about this to the entire Clan?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Cragpaw objected. "I had to tell someone!"

"You know what happens with secret information in this Clan!" Whiskerpaw hissed. "It starts spreading like a wildfire! Cats here can't keep a secret." She stormed away with a huff and scrutinized the smallish fresh-kill pile for her brother; apparently Moonshadow need to send out more hunting patrols. Instead of grabbing a pike, Whiskerpaw chose a moorhen instead. Not far away, she could hear the trouble commotion stirring up amongst her Clanmates.

"Did you hear about the fire?" Otterwhisker whispered to Stripedwhisker not far. The two senior warriors were sharing a thin carp by the elders' den. "There's supposed to be one in the near future."

"That's minnow-brained," Stripedwhisker snorted as he swiped a paw over his ear. "No cat can predict fires."

"Well the entire Clan is concerned about it," Otterwhisker replied.

"When do you think the fire is supposed to happen?" Auburnwhisker asked Shadowclaw.

"Probably when we least expect it, like when we're asleep," Shadowclaw prophesized.

"Not when we're awake?" Auburnwhisker questioned.

The black she-cat shrugged. "What better way to threaten WaterfallClan than to have a fire during the night?"

"How can cats even theorize when a fire going to happen?" Cedarstep stubbornly growled to Cliffjumper. "It's not like cats can create fire."

"I'm willing to bet a feast of trout that Tallcloud and his gang know a cat who can start fires," Cliffjumper insisted.

"You could be right," Cedarstep agreed.

"What's everyone talking about?" Rustpaw asked as he, his sister, and their mentors arrived through the reeds.

"They're talking about a fire that's supposed to happen," Stalkshine explained. "Apparently Whiskerpaw received warnings about one that's supposed to happen soon."

"Cats of WaterfallClan!" Goldenstar expectantly yowled from on top of Stonecleft. The Clan leader's smallish tail was brandishing and his shoulder fur was slightly rising. "Enough of these rumors of a fire! We need to focus on more important issues, such as keeping the fresh-kill pile stocked and our borders secure from the other Clans."

"But, Goldenstar," Mousethorn spoke. "We heard that Whiskerpaw did indeed receive a dream from StarClan foretelling a fire. Shouldn't we be concerned?"

Cats murmured in agreements and Whiskerpaw saw a few cats nodding as well.

Goldenstar shook his head. "You should be concerned when I tell you should be. Besides, those look like storm clouds on the horizon." He pointed with his tail towards the dark gray clouds that loomed far away. "They'll bring rain to moisten the ground. No fire can occur then." He turned his attention towards Nightstrike and Privetdrop. "Is it true that I have new warriors to make?"

Nightstrike nodded while Privetdrop spoke for both of them. "It is true, Goldenstar. Rustpaw and Leafpaw both passed their assessments."

"Rustpaw has shown that he understands the warrior code and the importance of loyalty," Nightstrike added. "He'll make an excellent addition to our Clan."

"Leafpaw as well," Privetdrop praised. "It's been an honor to finish her training."

Rustpaw boasted his chest and raised his head in pride when his mentor spoke words of praise. Leafpaw uncomfortably glanced at her paws, but a wide smile was shown on her muzzle.

Goldenstar nodded back and beckoned the two apprentices forward with a flick of his ear. The rest of the Clan quietly assembled around the two apprentices. "I, Goldenstar, leader of WaterfallClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have served hard to follow your noble code and I ask you to make them warriors in return. Rustpaw and Leafpaw," the apprentices straightened up even further, "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even with the cost of your life?"

"I do!" Rustpaw replied, his voice loud and confident.

"I do," Leafpaw softly replied, but no cat dared to question how much she meant it.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I grant you your warrior names!" Goldenstar gracefully leapt down and padded up to Rustpaw. "Rustpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Rustflame! StarClan honors your courage and sense of adventure, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WaterfallClan." Goldenstar rested his muzzle on the new warrior's nose and he licked his leader's shoulder in return.

Goldenstar turned to face Leafpaw. "Leafpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Leafwhisper! StarClan honors your courage and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WaterfallClan." Goldenstar rested his muzzle on the pale brown tabby's nose. She licked his shoulder in return.

"Rustflame! Leafwhisper! Rustflame! Leafwhisper!" the Clan chanted. The two new warriors raised their heads high as their Clanmates cheered.

"So that's a warrior ceremony?" Hykura asked Icepelt. They were sitting not far with their other companions.

Icepelt nodded. "It's a big deal for every young cat, since they all dream of becoming the best warrior they can be."

Whiskerpaw uneasily glanced towards the incoming storm clouds. Her father couldn't be right, because she had a feeling that the blaze would occur soon. Shoving that thought out of her mind, she firmly grasped the moorhen in her jaws and returned to the burrow. Perhaps it was just a passing storm that would leave by the next sunrise.

The clouds would remain hovering over the Clans for the rest of that quarter-moon.


	16. Chapter 14

**Tallcloud (c) AnnMY (deviantART)**

**Frostblaze (c) Frostfern10 (WattPad)**

**Icepelt (c) Ribbon-Wren (deviantART)**

**Hykura (c) Demi-Wizard (deviantART)**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

"Try standing up," Whiskerpaw urged Tinysnake. The gray and ginger tom confidently stood on all four paws. He still had a web of cobwebs plastered on his small neck, but his wound had healed quickly, much to Whiskerpaw's surprise. Only sunrises before had the small RowanClan warrior been unconscious in his nest, but now he was just about fully healed.

She walked around the tom, inspecting him from every angle to find signs of distress or pain – signs that indicated more time to rest. Fortunately for the both of them, she found no such signs. "I am glad that your Clan allowed you to rest here for the past three sunrises. You are just about fully healed now, Tinysnake."

"That's a relief!" Tinysnake joked with a low purr. "If I have to eat another fish again, then I just might freak!"

Whiskerpaw purred back amusingly. "But, hey, you would make a great WaterfallClan warrior. Your pelt is sleek and probably water-resistant like other WaterfallClan cats."

The small RowanClan warrior sniffed. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I like fish!" His cheerful expression soon turned somber. "So…this means I can go home now, right?"

Whiskerpaw looked puzzled. "I mean…yeah. You don't show signs of pain or struggle and your wound is just about healed up. What should prevent you from going home?"

"Well…you said it wasn't _fully_ healed, so that means I'm not _completely_ healed, right? I thought you only dismissed cats if they were completely healed."

"That's because most of the time, they are ready to burst out of the den by now," Whiskerpaw replied. It sounded like Tinysnake had no interest in going home yet.

"So it's probably best that I stay here under your watch," Tinysnake insisted. "Just in case my wound suddenly doesn't heal properly. I could…help you collect herbs or help you with other apprentice duties."

"Pigeonwing has already been a big help with helping me keep the storage updated and Cliffjumper and the apprentices are doing well with their duties. But…if you really trust my judgment better than Chervilpad's and Crowstripe's…"

"Oh, I do!" Tinysnake enthusiastically nodded. "So…what can I do around here to help?"

"…why don't you go make sure the elders have plenty to eat?" Whiskerpaw suggested. "And give this pile of ragwort to Tinyspirit. She's been complaining about her joints again." She pushed forward a pile of large leaves towards Tinysnake.

"Of course!" Tinysnake purred. He happily curled his tail before grasping the herbs in his jaws and leaving the den.

Pigeonwing entered the den not a heartbeat later. "The storm clouds are still there," he commented. "Every cat is wondering when the storm is going to break."

"Well we sure could use the rain," Whiskerpaw replied. "I can't even remember the last time I've seen it drizzle."

"Do you think Goldenstar convinced every cat that there wouldn't be a fire?" Pigeonwing asked.

"I'm hoping so, but there are probably a few who are still skeptical." She thought for a moment. "What about you? Did StarClan send you any warnings of a fire?"

Pigeonwing nodded. "I've known for a while, but was too worried to say anything. I didn't know that you had already known. I wonder if every medicine cat received warnings about a fire."

"Well, the half-moon is tomorrow night. Maybe the others will mention something then," Whiskerpaw replied.

The MeadowClan medicine cat grunted. "I wonder how Frozenwhisker is doing. I hope he's coping well without me."

"He's done it before, so I have no doubt that he can do it again," Whiskerpaw commented. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I am really grateful for what you've done around here, Pigeonwing. You've really helped me more than you can ever imagine. I have not only gained a friend, but my confidence as WaterfallClan's medicine cat."

Pigeonwing gave his white chest a few swift licks. "Heh…it was no problem, Whiskerpaw. I've enjoyed these sunrises with you." He gently touched his noses to her ear. "Are you hungry? I there might be some fresh-kill left over from last night."

"Has Tinysnake eaten?" Whiskerpaw asked.

"I saw him feast on a squirrel after he gave the elders something to eat," Pigeonwing answered with a nod. "Some other cats might've already cleaned the pile, but we can still check."

"Sure," Whiskerpaw replied. The two medicine cats left the den and proceeded over to the fresh-kill pile. Only a few pieces of prey remained, one pike and two small water voles to be exact, so Whiskerpaw and Pigeonwing shared a small water vole, knowing that there would be more selections later that day.

Tallstalk came over to them from the nursery as soon as the two cats finished up their breakfast. Only a few other cats were awake, but most cats were rousing up from their dens with large yawns. "Have you two seen Slipkit this morning?" His mew was quiet, but urgent.

"No…why? Is she missing?" Whiskerpaw replied.

"She's gone from the nursery!" Tallstalk moaned. "Moonshine thought that she might've wandered out but…"

"Slipkit's only a few sunrises old and hasn't opened her eyes yet," Whiskerpaw exclaimed. "She's too young to be away from her mother. Was she in the nursery last night?"

"Yes," Tallstalk softly sighed. "I always visit the kits before I go to sleep in the warriors' den."

"Find Moonshadow and let him know. Pigeonwing and I will start looking," Whiskerpaw ordered. "She couldn't have gone far."

"Right," Tallstalk replied and dashed away to find the dark gray tabby deputy.

Whiskerpaw and Pigeonwing quickly dashed towards the forest and forced their way through the reed barrier. Whoever was on guard duty last night had already left, so there wasn't any time to question them. Pigeonwing kept his nose to the ground, hoping to catch a whiff of the kit's scent while Whiskerpaw made sure he didn't bump into any roots or bushes.

"I just don't get it," Pigeonwing commented during their trek. "How could Slipkit disappeared? She can barely even walk!"

"Perhaps some cat took her," Whiskerpaw darkly mused. "I don't mean to point paws at any cat, but the loners weren't in camp this morning."

"Have you heard anything from your uncle and those two loners?" Pigeonwing suggested.

"Nothing yet," Whiskerpaw replied. And Springfox wasn't in camp either. The tom has promised to visit Whiskerpaw every morning so she could check on his wounds. He hadn't visited that morning. She couldn't even bear to thing whatever was controlling her brother would have done to Slipkit.

"There!" Pigeonwing exclaimed. "Her scent leads this way and it's fresh!" He took off dashing forward through the forest trail, kicking up dead leaves in his way. He abruptly stopped with a yelp.

"Pigeonwing?" Whiskerpaw called. Had whatever taken Slipkit found her dear friend? She shoved her way through the almost bare bushes and saw Pigeonwing frozen near the river. She almost forgot that her MeadowClan friend was nearly terrified of the river. She coaxed him away from the swift river's edge with her tail. "There's a log bridge not far from here. We can cross there."

"O-Okay," Pigeonwing stammered. He managed to tear his eyes away from the deep river and focus on his mud-covered white paws.

They walked in silence towards the log bridge. It was a little shaky because of its age, but crossing it was much easier than trying to coax Pigeonwing to swim. The MeadowClan medicine cat quickly found the kit's scent once more and the two friends were back on the hunt.

"I smell something else…" Pigeonwing began. "…Icepelt?"

"One of the loners?" Whiskerpaw gasped. "Did they take Slipkit?"

"Why don't you ask us?" a voice spoke that nearly freaked the two friends out of their pelts. It was Tallcloud, along with the others, not far from the MeadowClan border; Slipkit was in Icepelt's jaws. "We found this kit mewling not far from here. We were going to take her back when we ran into you two," Tallcloud explained before they could jump to any conclusions. "We were just on our way out."

"You're leaving?" Whiskerpaw asked as Icepelt dropped the gray she-kit at the medicine cat apprentice's paws. "Why?"

"It's time for us to leave," Tallcloud simply put.

"Also Hykura had too much fun mooning over every she-cat in your Clan," Frostblaze joked.

Hykura roughly shouldered her light gray tabby shoulder. "No I wasn't!" he insisted while Frostblaze snickered.

"Tallcloud has received warnings about the future," Icepelt explained. "We don't want to be a part of foreign Clan's affairs."

"Warnings?" Whiskerpaw echoed. "About what?"

"Did you contact StarClan like I asked you to?" Tallcloud answered her question with a question of his own.

"No…I couldn't reach them," Whiskerpaw meowed. "The half-moon is tomorrow night, so I could reach them then."

Tallcloud shook his head in disbelief. "I told you it would be too late! More kindle has been added to this upcoming flame. You must hurry before it ignites!" He turned away briskly, beckoning his cats to follow him with a wave of his tail. "Good-bye, Whiskerpaw and Pigeonwing. I pray that the Clans will survive this blaze of blood and death." He began to walk away along the MeadowClan-WaterfallClan border.

"B-But the clouds are hovering around us!" Pigeonwing insisted with fear in his voice. "They'll bring rain so there won't be any fire."

"Foolish tom cat!" Tallcloud hissed and whirled around to face them. "Those clouds aren't there to save you; they are there to signify your doom!" With that, he disappeared into the limited undergrowth, his cats quickly following behind.

"That rogue is crazy," Pigeonwing sniffed. "How can there be a fire if it rains?"

"I don't know…but we should be careful," Whiskerpaw whimpered. "Let's get Slipkit back home and we can share our worries with the others tomorrow night."

Pigeonwing opened his mouth to reply, but a warning yowl greeted them. "Pigeonwing! Thank StarClan I found you!" A gray tabby tom frantically dashed over the fields and stood at the border, heavily panting. His left ear was torn and blood dripped down over his cheek.

"Fogpelt?" Pigeonwing meowed. "What are you doing here?"

"Flintstrike…sent me…here…" panted the MeadowClan warrior. "There's been a skirmish over the ThistleClan border…cats are injured…need help…"

"Tell Flintstrike I'll be right there," Pigeonwing replied. Fogpelt nodded before taking a deep breath and galloping away over his territory. Pigeonwing turned to Whiskerpaw. "Sorry…I know we were planning for me to leave at the half-moon, but it seems that I must go. I cannot abandoned my Clanmates when they need me the most."

"Of course!" Whiskerpaw replied. "You must go." She paused and glanced down at Slipkit who squirmed between her paws. There was so much she wanted to say to him in so little time. What was she talking about? She would see him tomorrow night!

"I know," Pigeonwing spoke before she could. He pressed his muzzle against hers. "I'll miss you, too."

Whiskerpaw numbly nodded. "Thank you…" she whispered.

"It was my pleasure," Pigeonwing purred. He took a few paces back away from her, but his golden gaze never left hers. "Take care of yourself, okay? Do you promise?"

"I promise," Whiskerpaw replied.

Pigeonwing purred loudly before dipping his head and trotting towards his territory. His trot then turned into a mad dash, as he remembered that his Clanmates needed him.

Whiskerpaw stared after him for a few heartbeats, watching his gray and white splotch run across the moor until it vanished from her sight. The impatient squealing from Slipkit brought her back to reality. "Sorry, Slipkit. Let's get you back to camp, alright?" She gently grasped the gray she-kit's scruff and proceeded back to camp. She only made it a few paw steps when her brother suddenly appeared from behind a tree. His brown pelt was slightly ruffled and damp, as if he had rolled in something and taken a quick dip in the river before appeared here. His eyes blazed and glared at his sister.

"What was that?" he growled.

"What do you mean?" Whiskerpaw replied as she placed Slipkit between her paws. "I'm taking Slipkit home. Tallcloud and hid gang found her in the forest."

"I know that!" Springfox snapped. "I'm talking about you and Pigeonwing."

"What about us?" Whiskerpaw tried hard not to dig her claws into the soil. She knew exactly what her brother was talking about.

"Pigeonwing was acting a little _too_ friendly with you," Springfox growled.

"That's not my fault!"

"You seem to be encouraging it!" her brother snapped.

"Why are you all of a sudden angry about this?" Whiskerpaw snarled.

"It's against the warrior code for a cat to fall in love with a cat from a different Clan," Spingfox insisted. "And you're both medicine cats. In case you have forgotten, medicine cats can't have families of their own."

"I know that!" Whiskerpaw insisted.

"Then why are you and Pigeonwing constantly mooning over each other?"

"We're not doing that! We're just good friends."

"You seem more like 'good friends' to me." He let out a drastic sigh. "You can't keep this relationship up with Pigeonwing. You have a duty to your Clan. What would Mintshard say if he saw you now? This secret will only lead to hurt and pain."

"What about your secret?" Whiskerpaw challenged. "You disappear each night and return with blood on your fur."

"That's something completely different."

"Were you the one who took Slipkit last night?" Whiskerpaw pressed. "Is that why you weren't at camp this morning and why your pelt is damp? You must've rolled around in some plants and in the river to get her scent off of you so no cat would notice. Perhaps you were taking her somewhere when your controller's grip vanished once morning came. Is that what happened? Or what about Mistytail and Falconswoop? Was it _you_ who killed them? Is that why you almost killed Tinysnake? What are you planning? A war between our Clans?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Springfox snarled with gritted fangs.

"You are betraying your Clan!" Whiskerpaw hissed.

"So are you!" Springfox growled back with equal ferocity.

The two littermates stood at a standoff, neither one of them wishing to inflict more harm to the other.

"I'm taking Slipkit home," Whiskerpaw insisted. She grasped Slipkit in her jaws and turned away from her brother.

"You can't run away from this, Whiskerpaw," Springfox meowed as Whiskerpaw walked further and further away. "Think about your Clan. Soon, you are going to make a promise to put your Clan before everything else. Are you really going to throw all of Mintshard's training away? What would our parents think?"

Whiskerpaw tried to ignore her brother's blatant accusations, but how could she? She knew deep down that he was right.


	17. Chapter 15 - Pigeonwing

**So here's another one of these chapters from a different prospective, this time Pigeonwing, and there should be one more of these. I've decided to keep rolling with _The Phoenix_ 'cause I'm just on a roll with this story! I already have, like, three other chapters written.**

**Warriors (C) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

"So what happened exactly?" Pigeonwing meowed as he finally caught up with the panting Fogpelt. The light gray warrior had minor injuries, including a torn ear that was dripping blood down the side of his left face, but Pigeonwing worried that his Clanmate was only sent to retrieve him because Fogpelt only had minor wounds than the other cats.

"Sootwind, Finchwing and Lightberry were patrolling the ThistleClan border," Fogpelt began. "They met up with a patrol who accused them of killing Dashwind."

Pigeonwing grew nervous as his parents' names were mentioned in the first encounter. He began to run through remedies through his mind swiftly as he listened to Fogpelt report.

_Comfrey root and dock leaves to sooth the pain…_

"Sootwind and Lightberry stayed to fight while Finchwing ran back to camp for reinforcements," Fogpelt continued. "She brought Froststar, Tadpoleclaw, Fuzzyface, Lichenpelt, Maskclaw and Sandtail. Unfortunately, ThistleClan also brought more cats."

_Marigold, tormentil and tansy to cure the wound…_

"Maskclaw went back for warriors, bringing Windpath, Shadowmask, Fieldstep, Flintstrike and Sorrelpetal."

_Stinging nettle and horsetail to cure the infection…_

"ThistleClan must've known we would bring all of our warriors, because they seemed to bring their entire Clan! We fought as hard as any Clan would have."

_Cobwebs to stop the bleeding… _

"Eventually, Froststar called a retreat and we all helped each other home. Frozenwhisker was treating a few other cats when he called for me to fetch you." The warrior's pace was drastically slowing down and his panting grew louder.

"It sounds like we took a beating," Pigeonwing replied. "What did ThistleClan do?"

"They retreated as well," Fogpelt recalled. "Though they seemed satisfied."

"We better hurry then," Pigeonwing meowed briskly and quickened his pace, Fogpelt lagging behind a bit.

Pigeonwing could scent the blood before he could see the camp; the blood gave off large and powerful waves of scent that rippled through the territories. Normally he would feel comfortable and safe back in his own territory, the tussock grass gently soothing his pelt as he sprinted by, but he was more concerned about a fox or a group of rogues who might want to attack during the Clan's weaken state.

Frozenwhisker was dropping a water-soaked pile of moss onto Froststar's neck by the time Pigeonwing ran through the camp. Injured cats were lying everywhere, quietly moaning and complaining about their wounds. Piles of blood formed around the warriors and the camp reeked like death approaching.

"Frozenwhisker! I'm so sorry!" Pigeonwing began with a loud sob. "I should've been here to help—"

"That doesn't matter right now!" the white tom bitterly snapped. "I need more cobwebs, now!" He applied more pressure on his leader's neck. He removed the bloody moss and tossed it to the side.

"Yes, Frozenwhisker!" Pigeonwing replied and dashed into their rocky den. Maskclaw and Windpath were resting on nests with poignant poultices and cobwebs on their body inside the den. Pigeonwing grabbed a mouthful of stringy webs from their stick racks and dashed back outside. "Here," he replied. Frozenwhisker snatched the cobwebs out of his apprentice's mouth and replaced them where his paws were. He heard his mentor mutter prays to StarClan under his breath. Froststar's breathing was slow and her blue eyes gazed at nothing. "Is she losing a life?"

"Don't just stand there with your mouth wide open!" Frozenwhisker hissed. "Go help the others!"

"Yes, Frozenwhisker!" Pigeonwing quickly replied. He knew that his mentor didn't mean his sharp tone, but he was just concerned about Froststar. Had the ThistleClan cats injured her that badly?

"Ooh, I can't wait to get my claws on that screwed ThistleClan's face," Tadpoleclaw, a black senior warrior, snarled as he pretended to dig his claws into an imaginary warrior's face in the air. "ThistleClan will pay for what they've done."

"Yes, I too am looking forward to battle," Sootwind, a smokey-gray tom and Pigeonwing's father, agreed.

"And they accused us of killing Dashwind," Lichenpelt, a mottled light brown she-cat, scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What would we gain from killing a warrior?"

"They just wanted a reason to attack us," Fuzzyface hissed as Pigeonwing plastered a poultice of marigold on his shoulder. There were so many injured cats that required his attention...

"Pigeonwing, can we help?" the queens, Freezefur and Meadowdash, asked. They had stayed behind in camp along with the kits and elders during the battle and thus were free of injuries.

"Yes, I would appreciate that!" Pigeonwing happily purred. "Freezefur, can you fetch me some more marigold and goldenrod from the den, please?"

"Of course," the pale gray she-cat replied and left for the boulder den.

"Meadowdash, can you see if you can find the most injured cats please? They need to be treated immediately."

"Sure thing," the light brown queen meowed before disappearing in the crowd of cats.

"I wished I could've gone!" Stormkit growled to Graykit. His fluffy dark gray fur was spiking all over the place in frustration. "I would've sliced those ThistleClan cats in half!"

"Yeah!" his littermate, Graykit, cheered. He batted a small ball of moss with his claws. "I wished we were apprentices! We're almost six moons old and we could've totally dominated the battle!"

"I could've sent those ThistleClan rogues back running to their mamas!" Stormkit added.

"What do you two think you are doing?" one of the elders, Hazelnose, scowled from the elders' den. "Get back in here!"

"We wanted to know about the battle!" Stormkit growled and raced to his father. Fieldstep was laying on his flank as Pigeonwing plastered some cobwebs on the wound on his right flank. "You'll tell us about the battle, right?" He ran to his father's face and placed his paws on Fieldstep's face.

"Of course," Fieldstep purred. "Once Pigeonwing heals me."

Stormkit looked up to the medicine cat. "You'll make my father better, right?"

"I'll do my best," Pigeonwing replied. "But he seems like he'll heal just fine."

"Yay!" Stormkit cheered with a yowl.

"But right now, you need to stay with Graykit in the elders' den," Fieldstep went on. He ushered his son away with a raised paw. "The elders will tell amazing stories! You want to know about the battle that took place over the cliffs, right?"

"Yeah! That story is the best!" Stormkit agreed and dashed away to the elders' den. Hazelnose was waiting for him and ushered him inside with her tail.

"Pigeonwing, come quick!" Meadowdash spoke quickly as she ran to his side. "It's Lightberry."

The medicine cat's blood ran cold at the mention of his mother. The queen led the medicine cat to the injured Lightberry, who was laying on her flank with Shadowmask pressing a water-soaked moss clump near her mouth.

"She hasn't gotten up since she arrived," Shadowmask somberly reported on the condition of his littermate.

"Lightberry!" Pigeonwing cried. His mother only let out a faint moan. There wasn't any sign of injury on the flank that was showing, but there was blood forming around her body. "Let's flip her over to her side," Pigeonwing ordered, knowing fully well that it would cause his mother's white pelt to be soaked in the pooling blood. Shadowmask and Meadowdash helped the medicine cat flip over the injured white she-cat onto her left side. Pigeonwing immediately saw the cause of the problem: a large gash from her neck to her thigh was spooling blood unnoticed.

"Fetch cobwebs, quick!" Pigeonwing ordered to no cat in particular as he pressed down on his mother's wound. He heard some cat scurry away, but he didn't care who it was. All that mattered now was healing Lightberry. Freezefur arrived with marigold and horsetail and Pigeonwing nearly snapped them out of her jaws. He quickly chewed them up and spat the paste on his mother's injury. They somewhat stopped the bleeding, but there was still blood soaking out. He grabbed Shadowmask's soaked moss and pressed it against the wound. Some of the blood soaked up and he flung the now useless moss cluster towards Shadowmask. "Fetch more!" he yowled, now sounding like Frozenwhisker. He heard Shadowmask dash away. "Lightberry, please don't die on my now!"

"Here's those cobwebs," Meadowdash meowed with cobwebs on her shoulders. Pigeonwing took them and forced them on his mother's flank. Shadowmask arrived with more soaked moss and pressed it against her flank as well, soaking up more blood like a sponge.

"It's not working…" Freezefur dreadfully spoke. Pigeonwing didn't want to believe her, but he knew that the queen was right. Lightberry hadn't responded to any of Pigeonwing's treatments and her wound still wasn't slowing down.

"No…StarClan can't have her!" Pigeonwing stubbornly insisted. He pressed more cobwebs onto the now red she-cat's side. He couldn't feel the gently rising of her belly, but he still persisted. Shadowmask had already removed his blood-stained paws, but Pigeonwing didn't care if his paws were to be stained forever with his mother's spilt essence.

A tail rested on Pigeonwing's shoulder. It was Sootwind, his father and Lightberry's mate. He gazed somberly into his son's golden gaze. "…You should let her go…" he urged quietly.

"You're giving up on her?" Pigeonwing furiously growled. "On your own mate?"

Sootwind shook his head. "I know a dead cat when I see one," he remarked. He gently nosed his mate's muzzle, which gently fell back down onto the gathered blood with an unsatisfying _plop_.

Pigeonwing removed his paws and stared at his mother. Her once beautiful and shiny white pelt was now covered in her stinking blood; multiple cobwebs, chewed up herbs and moss specks covered her wound; her golden gaze rested in the distance; her flank stopped moving.

He shook his head disdainfully. "No. When Frozenwhisker gave me my name, I swore I wouldn't give up on any cat. I will not give up on Lightberry."

"She's dead, Pigeonwing. There's nothing you can do," Sootwind soothed.

"She can't be! I won't let her be!"

"Cats die. It's how things are."

"No! How can call myself a medicine cat if I let the ones I care most about slip away to StarClan?"

"She's happy there now," Sootwind coaxed with a small purr. He gingerly and slowly ushered his son away from Lightberry's body. "She's meeting new friends and rekindling old friendships."

Shadowmask pressed his muzzle into his sister's cheek. "She always loved to chase butterflies. I imagine that she's chasing them right now," he mewed with a sob.

"Lightberry?" Tadpoleclaw cautiously meowed. His golden gaze widened when he saw his still daughter. "Lightberry! Ivystep, come quick!"

"She's gone, Tadpoleclaw," Sootwind softly explained.

Tadpoleclaw's ears drew back and he bit back a growl. He pressed his nose into her forehead. "I should've taken her place," he murmured. His mate, Ivystep, arrived from the elders' den and hurried over with a gasp. More and more cats slowly made their way over, whispering words of comfort to the grieving cats.

"Lightberry's gone?" Sorrelpetal spoke softly. Sootwind nodded to his daughter. "No…" she whispered. "This wasn't supposed to happen…they said this wouldn't happened…"

Pigeonwing didn't know who his sister was talking about, but right now his mind was all over the place. _My mother is dead…Frozenwhisker probably needs me to help out with the other cats…I think Whiskerpaw likes me back…my mother is dead…_

Ivystep, Tadpoleclaw, Shadowmask and Sorrelpetal all helped to clean Lightberry's messy pelt and returned it to its former white glow. Finchwing and Meadowdash grabbed some rosemary and mint and helped rub it over her body.

Frozenwhisker replaced Sootwind at Pigeonwing's side, as the smokey-gray warrior went to help with the preparations for the vigil. "I'm sorry about your mother," Frozenwhisker spoke.

"How are the other warriors?" Pigeonwing managed to choke out. _My mother is gone…_

"Froststar lost a life, but she is now recovering in her den," Frozenwhisker recalled. "I sent Fuzzyface and Fieldstep to the den to rest."

There was a small pause before Pigeonwing spoke. "I should've been here," he sobbed. "I should've been here soon. If I hadn't helped Whiskerpaw—"

"Don't say that!" Frozenwhisker insisted harshly. "Whiskerpaw needed your help and your mother died defending her Clan. Don't make her death seem like it was for nothing."

"But I should've—"

"You're focusing too much on the past, Pigeonwing," Frozenwhisker insisted. "That's over now and whatever happened, happened. You can't change it. Focus instead on the future and the gifts it offers to us."

"Yes, Frozenwhisker," Pigeonwing softly replied.

"I'll fetch some thyme for you," Frozenwhisker went on. "Whether or not you choose to sit the vigil is up to you. Just remember: you have a duty to your Clan and you can't let your emotions get in the way of things." His white-colored mentor left Pigeonwing to his own thoughts.

Pigeonwing gazed around at the bloody camp, at his grieving family members to his battle-hungry Clanmates. Surely there would be another battle in the near future, he was positive. His Clanmates ached for battle and a chance to avenge Lightberry's death; was that was the ThistleClan cats were doing as well? Did they feel this same ache in their hearts when Dashwind was killed? Tensions were rising now, just the like gathering storm clouds. The dam would burst and the lightning will crack once the tensions become too much, and war arrives.

What would Pigeonwing's emotions be like then? Would he feel anger for his mother's death? Would he feel fear for his Clanmates' safety? What would his feelings for Whiskerpaw be like? How would he keep his emotions in check?

One things for sure: things were about to change, and Pigeonwing wasn't sure about the outcome of his feelings for Whiskerpaw.


	18. Chapter 16

**Bloop bloop. **

**Stewey (c) Bluestrike2434 (DeviantART)**

**Dapple (c) TheSilentSpirits (DeviantART)**

**Prideheart, Fadedheart, Crowstripe, Mistytail, Featherspots (c) RedRivest101 (DeviantART)**

* * *

Whiskerpaw tried her best to focus and clear her mind as she waited next to the pool of water, but the roar of the waterfall made it difficult. Tonight was the night she would hopefully get answers about everything: her strange dreams, the prophecy, her brother. She was hoping that StarClan would provide the answers that she sought.

"Greetings, Whiskerpaw," Chervilpad spoke and nearly startled Whiskerpaw. She didn't notice the RowanClan medicine cat and her apprentice appearing out of the bare bushes. "Have a lot on your mind?"

Whiskerpaw nodded. "Yeah…I'm hoping StarClan will answer some persistent questions that I've been having."

"Likewise." The pale brown tabby she-cat took a quick glance around. "Is Mintshard still not feeling well?"

"Unfortunately."

"What are his symptoms?"

"Uh, it's nothing to worry about," Whiskerpaw insisted. "I'm taking care of things."

Chervilpad seemed puzzled for a few heartbeats, but slowly nodded. Meanwhile, the ever stubborn and foul Crowstripe let out an obnoxious snort.

"It's a good thing you set my Clanmate free this morning, Whiskerpaw," the back tom snarled. "Or Prattlestar would've sent a patrol marching straight into your camp."

"Well, he's fully healed now," Whiskerpaw replied calmly. Tinysnake had left for camp that morning, claiming happily that it was time to go home. He had left unchallenged, though Cliffjumper stubbornly remarked that he was probably there to spy on them. On the other paw, Whiskerpaw had no idea how Chervilpad could keep up with her apprentice's foul attitude. Perhaps she found a way to ignore it? "Isn't that all that matters?"

"Whiskerpaw has only cared about healing those in need," another voice spoke from the brown branches. It was Pigeonwing, who appeared with Frozenwhisker right behind him. He seemed different in way or two: the usual warmth that laced his voice was very faint than it used to, and his eyes didn't have that same glow.

She brushed those inquiries off to the side. "Of course! That's what being a medicine cat is all about…helping those in need."

Pigeonwing merely nodded in response.

Shatterpelt and Sunpaw were the last to arrive all the way from ThistleClan. They ignored Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing as they passed by them.

"Those ThistleClan cowards attacked us yesterday," Whiskerpaw heard Frozenwhisker whisper to Chervilpad. "They cost us Lightberry and one of Froststar's lives."

"Great StarClan!" Chervilpad whispered back with large and concerned eyes. "Is she alright?"

"She's recovering, thank StarClan." He let out a sigh. "I was worried it wouldn't be enough."

"Let's begin, shall we?" Shatterpelt interrupted with a low growl before making her way up the rocky path that led to the Star Shard. Sunpaw uneasily followed behind her. Chervilpad and Frozenwhisker followed the ThistleClan medicine cats, along with their apprentices. Whiskerpaw followed in behind last, but she managed to catch up with the trailing Pigeonwing.

"I'm sorry about your mother," Whiskerpaw whispered to the gray and white medicine cat. Pigeonwing continued to study the rocky trail and ignored her. The mist from the waterfall soon blew into them, damping every cats' pelt. At last, they made it into the tunnel that led to the Star Shard. It was dark inside, but Shatterpelt could still make out where the said shard was. The rugged piece of shiny rock was lodged inside the end of the tunnel's wall, along with much smaller pieces of the same shiny rock. Every cat gathered around the large shard until moonlight illuminated the entire cavern, turning every cat's pelt into a gleaming silver glow. The medicine cats settled down besides the shard and drift off into sleep.

* * *

_A sharp paw prodded Whiskerpaw awake and she was surprised to see a faintly familiar gray tabby and white she-cat. _

_ "__You need to see something," Feathershade spoke in a soft voice. "Something very important."_

_ "__Feathershade! It's so good to see you again!" Whiskerpaw purred. Mousethorn's mate had died not long ago from green-cough, and Whiskerpaw was delighted to see the now strong and confident warrior here in StarClan._

_The stars in Feathershade's pelt swirled aggressively. "You must come with me now!" she snapped, before twirling in the opposite direction, not waiting for Whiskerpaw to catch up._

_ "__Where are we going?" Whiskerpaw asked as she followed the StarClan she-cat. "Do you know more about the prophecy? What about my strange dreams and Springfox? Did he really kill those cats and who is controlling him? Is this happening in the other Clans?"_

_ "__Shush," Feathershade spoke. She was leading Whiskerpaw to a part where she wasn't familiar with, away from the clearing with the noisy creek. They headed deeper and deeper into the windy forest where it was green-leaf perpetually. As they passed by, Whiskerpaw spotted some familiar cats: Rumblestar and Redstar were sharing a meaty squirrel by the roots of a large oak, Splashheart, Shadesky and Brinepaw were playing chasing around another tree, Spottednight, Pineheart, Pumpkinfur and Redstar were quietly conversing a ways away, and Leopardnose and Quailfeather were sharing tongues as Limpkit playfully batted her father's pale gray tabby tail. StarClan seemed so peaceful._

_The sounds of the chattering creek soon returned, but they emerged at a different part of the creek than down by the clearing. The water was deeper and wider and bluer. _

_The dark gray she-cat with a white throat motioned for Whiskerpaw to gaze into the water with her tail. "Take a look," she meowed. _

_ "__What is this place?" Whiskerpaw instead asked._

_ "__Further upstream," Feathershade briskly replied. "The images here are much clearer and stronger than downstream."_

_At first, Whiskerpaw couldn't see anything in the deep, blue water but her own reflection. Soon, fuzzy images appeared and they slowly became clearer, like one's eyes adjusting to the darkness. She saw several familiar cats, including Springfox, and others, watching two cats fight; their pelts were already marked with each other's claws. Soon, audio slowly appeared and Whiskerpaw was finally able to understand what was happening._

_ "__You're pathetic, Frostwillow," a cat shouted from the sidelines. The white tom named Frostwillow of ThistleClan let out a snarl and lashed out at his opponent. The opponent quickly took a pawstep backwards and struck out as Frostwillow missed. Frostwillow yowled and recoiled away. His opponent, none other than Fadedheart of RowanClan, cleaned his bloody paw. _

_ "__Their training viciously!" Whiskerpaw remarked. She'd never seen any sort of training like this before; only during battle. _

_ "__Who's next?" Fadedheart snarled as Frostwillow limped away. _

_To Whiskerpaw's surprise, Springfox bounded up, looking very determined. "It's time to teach this RowanClan punk a lesson," he snarled and raked the hard ground with his front claws._

_ "__Bring it, Water cat," Fadedheart taunted and waited for Springfox to make the first move. Whiskerpaw's brother swiftly crouched to the ground and darted forward with claws out, striking Fadedheart on the neck. The RowanClan tom promptly latched himself on Springfox's back, digging his claws and fangs into the tom's spine. Springfox hissed and tried to get Fadedheart off his back. _

_Whiskerpaw also noticed some other familiar faces amongst the crowd of observing cats. She noticed Cliffjumper, Reedleg, Rustflame, Shadowclaw and Stalkshine from WaterfallClan, along with a few others from the other Clans. Inkheart was also there, including one of the loners who stayed with him – Stewey. _

_However, there was something horribly wrong with each and every cat who sat there in the image, something she hadn't noticed before:_

_Each cat's eyes were a ghostly and soulless white._

_ "__What's wrong with them?" Whiskerpaw whispered. They had the same shade and eeriness her brother's eyes had when he almost killed Tinysnake._

_ "__They're being possessed," Feathershade somberly explained next to her as the two cats continued to watch the image in the still water. "Their fear, anger, jealousy, pain and ambitions have been brought out and it is now consuming them. They don't mean to do what they are doing, but they have no choice – the lure of their ambitions is far too greater to ignore."_

_ "__What's bringing their emotions out?" Whiskerpaw asked. Feathershade merely pointed with her tail to a shadowy figure who sat at the far edge of the clearing. He was completely made up of soot, smoke, gas, and ash that whirled around him like the wind, but his eyes were the same bright and white circles as his minions. _

_ "__The Shadow Master," Feathershade continued. "He has existed for countless moons, most likely since the beginning of our time. He harvests on a cat's soul and uses them as a host to control those with strong emotions for his evil doing. We have discovered that he is using his host's original plan to destroy the Clans, and he's doing that from the inside out."_

_ "__Why does he want to do that? Why is he here?"_

_ "__We believe it has something to do with the prophecy involving your father," Feathershade meowed. "He was foretold to save the Clans every time he was needed; whenever the Clans needed someone to save them or guide them in the right direction, your father was summoned in his many forms."_

_ "__Okay…and that means…?"_

_ "__The Shadow Master was created to destroy the light; that his is only soul purpose. He wants to destroy the hope that comes with your father. After all, with every good thing, there must be a bad thing, no? He is the master of the dark, your father is the master of the light. Just like your father has many hosts, the Shadow Master has many hosts. The time has come for them to fight – light verses dark."_

_ "__So, the Shadow Master is using the strong emotions buried in the Clans' warriors as his minions, he trains them every single night to practice, he uses them to great strong tension between the Clans by killing cats, and is trying to destroy my father and the Clans from the inside out? Is that about it?" Whiskerpaw asked._

_ "__There is still the prophecy," Feathershade added._

_ "__Oh…right. How does that come into play?"_

_ "__We are not here to tell you everything, little one," Feathershade meowed. "Try to see if you can come up with the answer for yourself. After all, the fire is coming soon."_

_Whiskerpaw wanted to ask more questions, but she was brought back to reality by the sound of her brother's pain-filled yowl and the scent of ash._

* * *

Her brother's yowl still echoed in her ears by the time she woke up. The other medicine cats were beginning rouse judging from their fear scent and shaking pelts.

"Something terrible is coming," Frozenwhisker was the first to speak. The white medicine cat shook his pelt once more, as if to get rid of chills. "We must warn our leaders immediately."

"It could already be too late," Shatterpelt ominously meowed. "Kinkstar told me that there was nothing we could do."

"We have to do something!" Crowstripe snarled. "Rumblestar told me that we should never give up! We have to do at least something, or die trying."

"Crowstripe is right, surprisingly," Whiskerpaw added. "We're medicine cats of the Clans, and we don't give up without a fight."

"Brave words for someone so small," Sunpaw remarked.

"You're not any bigger," Whiskerpaw hissed.

"Enough!" Chervilpad growled as the two medicine cat apprentices' pelts began to rise. "We must leave at once and alert our leaders. They can decide what we will do."

"…Hey, can any cat hear that?" Pigeonwing finally spoke up after a few silent heartbeats.

"I don't hear anything!" Crowstripe snarled.

"Exactly!" Pigeonwing remarked. "Shouldn't we at least hear the waterfall from in here…?"

The medicine cats shared knowing and concerned glances before rushing outside. The dawn light that soaked through the thick and gray storm clouds provided some light, but it was still quite dark by the time the seven cats made it outside the tunnel. They skidded to a halt and were amazed at what they didn't see.

"Oh no…" Whiskerpaw breathed. The mighty water that used to roar over the cliff sides was now gone. The pool and the river were for once still and silent. WaterfallClan's greatest symbol of strength had vanished. It had somehow disappeared and Whiskerpaw didn't need a pedigree to know who had done it.

"This is it," Frozenwhisker interpreted in the uneasy silence as the wind quickened and low but loud grumbles shouted from above the clouds. "Something terrible is about to happen, and we weren't prepared."


	19. Chapter 17

**A short chapter. **

**Tallcloud (c) AnnMY (DeviantART)**

**Crowstripe (c) RedRivest101 (DeivantART)**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

"We must warn our Clanmates immediately," Chervilpad repeated. She began to quickly trot down the now dry path down the cliff side. "Crowstripe, we must hurry. Prattlestar must know of what we've seen."

"Yes, Chervilpad," Crowstripe meowed. He glanced at Whiskerpaw for a single heartbeat. "Good-luck," he mewed before dashing after his mentor.

_What was that for?_ "I need to hurry to my Clan as well," Whiskerpaw explained to the others.

"So do we," Shatterpelt agreed. Before any cat could respond, Whiskerpaw was already pelting away as fast as she could with her limp. The branches scraped against her thin pelt as she struggled to walk faster and faster towards the camp. She had a horrible feeling in her stomach that today was the day her questions would be answered, for better or for worse. _Tallcloud was right, our doom in coming!_

Moonshadow was already in the middle of the camp scoping the new dawn by the time Whiskerpaw finally wobbled into camp. The deputy's dark gray ears pricked up at her obvious troubled form.

"Whiskerpaw, did you run all the way here? What's wrong?" Moonshadow already asked.

"I need to speak with you and Goldenstar, now!" Whiskerpaw panted and she struggled to catch her breath. Her shoulder was aching because of how much she pushed it, but that didn't matter right now. She had to warn her Clan.

"I'm here," Goldenstar meowed, coming up from behind Moonshadow. He must've just woken up in his den when he heard the commotion, because his head fur was still ruffled from a lack of grooming.

"StarClan told me of something terrible," Whiskerpaw began. She quickly explained the concept of the 'Shadow Master'. "He's controlling cats from all of the Clans via their strong and powerful emotions, and training them against their will! He's coming after you, Father. He wants nothing but to destroy you and the Clan you cherish so much."

"That's terrible!" Moonshadow gasped.

"What's worse, is that the waterfall has stopped. It's no longer flowing any more water out," Whiskerpaw cried. "The symbol of WaterfallClan has vanished. It's a terrible omen from StarClan – the doom of our Clan is upon us!"

"There's nothing the Clans can't survive," Goldenstar insisted stubbornly. "As long as we have faith and each other, there isn't anything we can't accomplish."

"I honor your faith and courage, Father," Whiskerpaw replied. "But we must do something."

"Who are the cats that the Shadow Master has trained?" Moonshadow growled as the dark gray tabby fur rose along his spine. "They must be punished."

"You can't punish them for anything," Whiskerpaw insisted before the deputy could suggest anything drastic. "It's not their fault their emotions were too strong. They were manipulated and forced to do the Shadow Master's wrongs."

"Though this does explain some previous events," Goldenstar mumbled before raising his voice once Moonshadow gave him a questioning look. "Inkheart once said that he was raised by what he described as a shadow cat. The said cat told him lies so his dogs would attack WaterfallClan. Perhaps he was using Inkheart's loneliness to the shadow cat's advantage."

"Yeah, and that doesn't matter now," Moonshadow snapped irritably. "We have a serious situation on our paws. This Shadow Master could attack at any moment, and we need to be prepared!"

"I'm afraid it's too late for preparation," Whiskerpaw somberly reported. "I just have this ominous feeling."

"So do I," Goldenstar replied. He flicked his ear and turned towards Moonshadow. "Assemble the warriors. We need all available cats who are willing to fight."

"You got it, Goldenstar," Moonshadow replied with a wink and swiftly made his way towards the warriors' den. "Get up, you lazy sons of she-cats! I need all available warriors front and center, right now, or I'll pull your sorry little tail out of your nest myself!"

Suddenly, Whiskerpaw could hear the sound of some cat desperately running over the sound of several warriors moaning and groaning as they lazily stumbled out of their nests. Some cat was coming, and fast. Goldenstar heard it too, for his attention was now on the camp entrance, and his shoulder fur was slowly rising.

Expecting an enemy cat, Whiskerpaw was relieved to see that it was merely Finchwing of MeadowClan. The light brown tabby she-cat was heavily panting and there was still visible signs of the previous skirmish with ThistleClan in the scars all over her lithe body.

"Goldenstar, you and your Clan must come quick!" the exhausted MeadowClan she-cat yelped before any cat could shout out a demand. "ThistleClan and RowanClan are attacking our camp!"

Whiskerpaw heavily sighed as several warrior gasped. "It has begun," she whispered to herself.


	20. Chapter 18

**Finally another chapter! Sorry this wasn't up sooner - I'm finally recovering from a long sickness. **

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Stewey (c) Bluestrike2434 [deviantART]**

**Dapple (c) TheSilentSpirits [deviantART]**

**Prideheart, Fadedheart, Crowstripe, Mistytail, Featherspots (c) RedRivest101 [deviantART]**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

"I want all available warriors lined up right now!" Goldenstar yowled with a mighty roar. The majority of the warriors were already outside when they heard the urgent news Finchwing brought. They quickly lined up in a single-file line facing Goldenstar, Moonshadow, Whiskerpaw and Finchwing, their sleepiness and uneasiness quickly forgotten. Some were shifting their paws in excitement while others uneasily glanced around at the prospect of a battle.

Goldenstar gazed with pride and sternness at his warriors. "Cats of WaterfallClan, I am grateful to be Clan leader of such an amazing Clan. I'm constantly inspired by such brave and loyal cats. Our Clan is the strongest amongst the others, and we've always had StarClan's blessing. We have kits in the nursery and plenty of fresh-kill; StarClan has gifted us with the river to keep us fed during all seasons.

"Now our friends in MeadowClan have requested our help. ThistleClan and RowanClan are currently attacking their camp, and we must arrive with courage and zeal. We will race across the plains of MeadowClan and drive back the threatening cats. We are stronger together than we are apart. So, I ask of you, my great Clanmates, are you willing to fight and bring justice to our neighbors?"

"Yes!"

"Are you willing to risk your lives to protect another?"

"Yes!"

"Are you ready to sink your claws into an enemy's flesh?"

"Yes!"

"Our darkest dawn is now upon us, my Clanmates, and we will ride the sun into victory!" Goldenstar yowled. The cats of WaterfallClan simultaneously cheered for their pride and glory. "We will attack in two waves," Goldenstar went on. "Moonshadow and I will lead them. We'll also need enough cats to stay behind, in case RowanClan or ThistleClan decide to attack us. They undoubtedly know we are coming, so we must take all necessary cautions. Dustberry will stay and remain in charge. Her word is law."

The dusty gray tabby she-cat nodded. "You can count on me, Goldenstar."

Goldenstar nodded back and gazed at his excited warriors. "I want Cedarstep, Cliffjumper, Stalkshine and Springfox."

"I'll take Otterwhisker, Privetdrop and Mousethorn," Moonshadow ordered. Once their name was called, each cat gathered around their respective leader.

"Leapingriver, Quailheart and Rustflame, you'll come with me," Goldenstar commanded. "Shadowclaw, Reedleg and Meltingice can join Moonshadow's patrol."

"That'll leave Tallstalk, Auburnwhisker, Leafwhisper, Ryeleaf, Nightstrike and the apprentices at the camp." He turned towards Goldenstar. "That seems appropriate."

"What about me?" Moonshine spoke up. "I want to fight?"

"Are you strong enough, Moonshine?" Moonshadow began, concerned for his daughter. "You just had you kits a few sunrises ago."

"I want to help defend my Clan, or else my kits won't have a future," Moonshine insisted. "Besides, Fallsriver and the elders can watch them."

"We'll keep them entertained," Stripedwhisker called from the elders' den. Fallsriver didn't say anything, but pressed close against Privetdrop, her belly wide with her unborn kits.

"Very well," Goldenstar agreed. "You can join Moonshadow's patrol."

Moonshine didn't seem very pleased, for she knew the only reason Goldenstar put her in her father's patrol was so Moonshadow could keep an eye on his daughter, but she didn't argue and joined in her father's group.

"If you feel weak at any time—" Moonshadow began, but Moonshine cut him off.

"I'm a warrior, Moonshadow," Moonshine interrupted. "And a mother. I will fight as if I am protecting my kits."

"My patrol will leave first," Goldenstar went on. "Moonshadow's patrol will follow a few minutes later alongside the cliffs."

Moonshadow tipped his head to one side. "It'll take longer that way," he commented with a worried expression. "Will your patrol hold off those scoundrels for that long?"

"We must," Goldenstar argued. He turned towards Dustberry, signaling the end of this discussion with his deputy. "Defend the camp with your lives, if necessary."

"We won't fail you, Goldenstar," Dustberry meowed determinedly.

"You aren't leaving without your medicine cat, aren't you?" Whiskerpaw suddenly spoke up next to her father.

"Um…my Clanmates are dying?" Finchwing nervously pressed.

"This won't take long," Whiskerpaw commented over her shoulder.

She heard her father sigh. "You're a medicine cat _apprentice_, Whiskerpaw, and I'm not sending apprentices into this undoubtedly dangerous fight. It's too risky."

"Oh, no! You used that excuse last time during the fire-drill. Besides, you're letting Moonshine go, and she'd just recently had her kits! If this situation wasn't so dire, I wouldn't have let you take her!"

"My answer still remains solid," Goldenstar simply replied. "It's too risky and we can't lose our only available medicine cat."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not a kit anymore, Goldenstar, and I can take care of myself. You said before that you would require my guidance since Mintshard is out. And as your medicine cat, I demand to come along. You're going to need a medicine cat, and I need to be there. If Mintshard were awake, you would've allowed him to come along."

"She is right, you know," Leapingriver added and padded up next to her troubled mate. "You're going to need a medicine cat if your patrol is first in line. This battle is going to be a serious one, and we're going to need every available cat."

Goldenstar let out another sigh and gazed hopelessly between his youngest daughter and his wise mate. "Very well," he mumbled.

Whiskerpaw gently pressed her nose into his shoulder fur. "Thanks for believing in me," she whispered. She felt him rake his tongue over her forehead.

"Quickly gather what you'll need. We're leaving soon," Goldenstar merely meowed. Whiskerpaw nodded and quickly made her way to the medicine cats' den. She passed by the slumbering Mintshard towards the storage area. Unearthing some leaves, she found her full supply of marigold and scoped some up with a paw. In another hole, she found horsetail, and in another she found some tormentil. She placed some of the herbs in a large oak leaf, and prepared another bundle of herbs in another oak leaf, asking Quailheart to help her carry it to the battle site. She plastered some of her supply of cobwebs on her limp shoulder, knowing that there would be some at the site.

"Ready to go," Whiskerpaw meowed to her father, setting her bundle of herbs down for a heartbeat to readjust her cobwebs.

The golden tabby leader nodded. "Warriors," he commanded in a loud voice. "Onward, to victory!" With that yowl, the leader of WaterfallClan took off through the reed barrier with his warriors, and his medicine cat, following close behind him.

Her shoulder was already causing a dull, aching pain during her mad dash from the Star Shard, so Whiskerpaw struggled to keep up the brisk pace of her eager Clanmates. Cedarstep casted a scowl over his shoulder, but said nothing. This time, Whiskerpaw didn't let her Clanmate's rude expressions slow her down.

When they came to the river, some of her Clanmates raced and forced their way through the river, making their pelts stick to their flanks, while some of her Clanmates used the tree bridge to avoid the unnecessary weight on their pelts. Whiskerpaw and Quailheart leapt over the tree bridge to avoid losing some of their precious herbs to the water. The wind was beginning to pick up and uneasily sway the tree branches above. The storm clouds grew darker and darker, bringing the promise of a storm.

Finchwing took the lead when they crossed into MeadowClan territory. It was eerily quiet, and Whiskerpaw couldn't detect a single sound from prey or a cat. The light brown tabby she-cat quickly stormed over the tussock grass and the hard earth. Some of Whiskerpaw's fellow Clanmates tripped and stumbled over exposed rocks and the thicker areas of grass. Clearly their bulky bodies weren't fit for his type of terrain. How were they supposed to fight here?

The trail they raced on forked into two separate paths, and Whiskerpaw recognized the one on the left leading to the MeadowClan camp from her earlier adventure with the swift cats. Finchwing led the way on the path on the left, away from the path that led towards the ThistleClan border, the tall sycamore and oak trees looming on the horizon to their right.

"Are we nearly there?" Goldenstar asked Finchwing.

Finchwing flicked her ears. "Yes, nearly there. I can hear my Clanmates' battle cries."

"How can you hear anything in his wind?" Rustflame argued. "I can barely hear any cat!"

No cat replied for a while. However, it wasn't long until the sounds of screeching and hissing alerted the WaterfallClan cats of the battle. Finchwing had told them that ThistleClan, along with the assistance of RowanClan, had attacked the unexpecting Clan a little before dawn. Not like there was much light out here in the first place. The storm clouds looked more menacing out here in the open land.

The camp was soon in their peripheral vision, and Goldenstar picked up the pace and took the lead. Whiskerpaw led Quailheart with a flick of her tail away from the battle patrol towards the bramble barrier of the camp. The screeches were much louder here and Whiskerpaw tried to block them out. She found a small opening for her to view the battle and set down her herbs next to the opening.

"Thanks Quailheart," Whiskerpaw meowed to her brother. "You can go join Goldenstar now." Her pale gray tabby brother nodded before dashing away to join the fight. Whiskerpaw quickly scrapped some piles of grass together with her claws to form makeshift nests. This battle would be deadly and she wanted to use every single second to prepare. She laid down her herbs neatly so she could easily grab the herb she needed.

"WaterfallClan, attack!" roared her father, signaling WaterfallClan's participation in the fight. She heard her Clanmates storm through the barrier and launch themselves on any unsuspecting enemy cat with outreached tooth and claw.

"WaterfallClan cats!" snarled a ThistleClan tom.

She could hear the scuffling of the fight as her Clanmates teamed up with the weary MeadowClan cats. Whiskerpaw timidly poked her head out between the bramble barrier to witness the fight and to spot any of her Clanmates who might needed her help.

"RowanClan cats are always looking for an unfair fight!" Cliffjumper snarled as he raked his claws across Emberdust's muzzle. "They only run away when the fight becomes even!"

"Say that to my face, you WaterfallClan fish!" Emberdust hissed and counterattacked with fierce lashes of his own.

Freezefur and Meadowdash fought fiercely at a wave of ThistleClan and RowanClan cats at the entrance of the bramble-covered nursery and Whiskerpaw could see the three kits peering out curiously at their tough mothers. Leapingriver, Stalkshine, Dawnheart and Foxrun raced over to assist the queens and they managed to drive away the wave of enemy cats.

"You need to stop killing our Clanmates!" Dapplespots hissed and leapt on Cedarstep's large shoulders.

"We never killed anyone, coward!" Cedarstep snarled and used his weight to his advantage by rolling onto his back. Dapplespots managed to scramble away before the crushing blow, and lashed out on Cedarstep.

"Goldenstar!" Froststar happily yowled across the clearing. Goldenstar immediately rushed to her side, knocking Prideheart away with a sharp blow. "Always fashionably late as usual, huh Goldenstar?" the weakened MeadowClan leader purred.

"Thank StarClan, we've seemed to make it on time," Goldenstar merely replied with a nonchalant twitch of his torn ear.

"I can't thank you enough for this," Froststar went on, raking her claws against Duskwing, and dodging a blow from the recovering Prideheart. Goldenstar swept his claws across Prideheart once again, adding another mark to his black and white face. Runningclaw leapt on the WaterfallClan leader's back and sunk his fangs into Goldenstar's neck. Froststar quickly caught sight of her friend in turmoil and pounced on the brown tabby ThistleClan tom and chomped on his neck. Runningclaw yowled and dashed away, only to be replaced by Tidefeather and Hailbreath.

"You can thank me later when this is over," Goldenstar breathed, some blood dribbling down the back of his neck where Runningclaw chomped on him. He resumed the fight with fierce strikes against Tidefeather and Hailbreath with Froststar copying him.

Whiskerpaw finally caught sight of Pigeonwing, who was ushering Sandtail on her paws towards the medicine cat's den. A very stupid Frostwillow of ThistleClan stalked the preoccupied Pigeonwing into the den, but was promptly chased out by fierce yowls from the medicine cat. Unfortunately for Frostwillow, the white tom ran straight into Cedarstep's sharp claws. Whiskerpaw longed to check on her medicine cat friend, but she couldn't leave her position unattended – she needed to take care of her Clan first.

Her opportunity arose when she saw Rustflame and Fadedheart scuffling on the dusty ground a fox-length away. Fadedheart was severely injured and was most likely trying to scramble away but Rustflame kept pouncing on the weak RowanClan warrior. Fadedheart tried his best to fight back against his attacker, but his blows slowly grew weaker and weaker as Rustflame's grew fiercer and fiercer. Finally, she couldn't stand to watch for any longer.

"Rustflame!" she yowled and launched herself through the opening, the brambles raking across her back as she leapt and ran towards her Clanmate. Rustflame looked up in surprise and Whiskerpaw gently pushed him off the gray and white tom.

"What are you doing, Whiskerpaw? This is a battle! It's not your place to interfere in warrior stuff," Rustflame stubbornly insisted with a growl.

"This warrior has suffered enough! He needs to see Crowstripe and Chervilpad," Whiskerpaw fought back.

"But he's an enemy cat!" Rustflame growled. "Don't tell me you're more loyal to RowanClan now."

"Don't you dare doubt my loyalty! My loyalty will always lie within WaterfallClan," Whiskerpaw hissed. "However, I will not stand to watch a defeated warrior be killed. It's against the warrior code, remember? Now, let me take him to Crowstripe."

Rustflame let out an angry hiss, but he didn't disagree. Instead, he went to help Springfox and Quailheart fight some more RowanClan warriors.

"I could've taken him on by myself, you know," Fadedheart grumbled as he struggled to get on all four paws. "He's just another stupid WaterfallClan cat."

"Uh-huh," Whiskerpaw just replied and let Fadedheart lean on her shoulder. She spotted Chervilpad's brown tabby pelt from across the camp and led the RowanClan tom towards them. "Just a few more paw steps, Fadedheart," Whiskerpaw assured the bleeding tom. He had a long scar running from near his left eye to his belly that needed immediate treatment along with a few other scratches here and there.

"Whiskerpaw!" Chervilpad spoke once they were a tail-length away from where the RowanClan medicine cats have set up camp.

"Fadedheart needs immediate medical attention, now," Whiskerpaw meowed as Fadedheart slipped off her shoulder and onto Chervilpad's. "Try binds of horsetail and marigold, if you have any, and soak some wet moss first to get rid of the blood."

"Thank you Whiskerpaw, but we have it here," Chervilpad replied as Crowstripe grabbed some herbs.

"Okay," Whiskerpaw replied, remembering that Chervilpad had been a medicine since before the Clans moved to their new homes. "Right." She excused herself out as Crowstripe and Chervilpad began licking Fadedheart's wounds. Whiskerpaw limped around the outskirts of the camp towards her exit hole, examining the camp for any signs of cats who might need her help. To her relief, her Clanmates only had minor injuries.

"WaterfallClan, attack!" yowled the familiar screech of Moonshadow. He launched, almost flew, over the weakened bramble barrier with several other fresh and battle-hungry warriors behind him. The surprised and already weakened by their wounds RowanClan and ThistleClan cats let out yowls as the WaterfallClan cats attacked.

"About time, Moonshadow," Goldenstar cheekily joked to his deputy.

Moonshadow raked his claws on Yewclaw and chased away Dewdapple, who was snapping on his tail. He glared at his leader with his usual humor-filled golden eyes. "Huh. I told you that it would take longer to travel along the cliffs, but no. You insisted, you stubborn old salmon. I wonder where you got that."

"Some say Leopardnose," Goldenstar replied, mentioning his late mother. "Or perhaps, you, my, ah, former mentor."

"Well, someone had to teach you humor."

"Whiskerpaw!" Quailheart yowled from not far. Stalkshine was leaning heavily on his shoulders, her breath rasping and loud.

Whiskerpaw immediately ran towards her brother and began examining Stalkshine. The golden tabby she-cat had a large wound on her neck and it was gushing out blood. "I got her," Whiskerpaw replied and took over for Quailheart. Her brother looked like he wanted to protest, but instead gave Stalkshine a quick lick on her ear before returning to the battle.

Whiskerpaw led the weak she-cat towards her exit, and fortunately it was large enough for both of them to squeeze through. She let Stalkshine rest on one of the grass nests and cleaned the wound. She chewed up some marigold and horsetail into a poultice and plastered it onto Stalkshine's neck. Whiskerpaw also grabbed some cobwebs and made sure Stalkshine's neck was nice and white. She also self-evaluated herself, realizing how easy she fixed up Stalkshine's wound, which was similar to her mentor's wound. She recalled how freaked out she was and was unsure of what to do back then. Now, she could fix wounds easily.

"Hey, Whiskerpaw," Sunpaw, the ThistleClan medicine cat apprentice, spoke and popped his head through the bramble hole. "Do you have any spare marigold? Shatterpelt and I really need it."

"Of course, Sunpaw," Whiskerpaw replied to the golden tabby tom. She separated a pile of marigold with her paw and wrapped them up in a spare leaf. "There's always plenty to share."

"Thanks a lot!" Sunpaw thanked graciously and took the leaf wrap and disappeared.

"Stalkshine?" Whiskerpaw called out over the sounds of yowls and turned her attention towards her patient.

"…Huh?" Stalkshine replied and opened her green eyes. "Where am I?"

"You're behind the MeadowClan bramble barrier," Whiskerpaw explained. "You had a nasty neck wound."

"Oh…yeah…Tumbletwig pinned me down," Stalkshine replied. She suddenly remembered the battle. "Oh, yes! The battle! Are we winning?" She quickly got out of her nest and ran to the opening.

"Stalkshine, you need to rest!" Whiskerpaw insisted.

"But our Clanmates need me!" Stalkshine argued, her weariness forgotten at the prospect of battle. "And besides, it seems like we are driving the enemies out of the camp."

Whiskerpaw peered out next to her and indeed saw that her Clanmates were driving the RowanClan and ThistleClan cats out of the camp.

"Drive them away, warriors!" Flintstrike yowled as he chased away Berryshade. "Drive them out of the camp!"

"Leave no warrior behind!" Moonshadow shouted as he and Moonshine teamed up against two RowanClan warriors.

The WaterfallClan and MeadowClan cats seemed to fight more fierce thanks to deputies' rallies. They chased away the frightened and tired enemy cats near the entrance of the camp.

"Retreat to the border, ThistleClan!" Sloestar commanded, her black pelt striking with dark blood. She led the way out of the camp with her warriors scurrying behind her.

"Fall back, RowanClan!" Prattlestar echoed, following the ThistleClan leader out of the camp. Her injured warriors streamed out behind her. The WaterfallClan and MeadowClan cats promptly followed them, not giving up without a chase.

"You can't let me stay here and watch the ending fight!" Stalkshine insisted.

"Well…as long as you don't do anything reckless…" Whiskerpaw agreed.

"I won't!" Stalkshine promised. "Thanks Whiskerpaw!" she yowled as she joined her Clanmates in the chase.

Whiskerpaw knew that she would be needed in the final fight, so she grabbed her remaining herbs in a large leaf wrap and pelted after them. Her shoulder began to ache once more, but she pushed through it. She couldn't miss this fight. The storm clouds above her grumbled ominously. Was it going to rain soon?

The WaterfallClan and MeadowClan cats caught up with the ThistleClan and RowanClan warriors at the border between MeadowClan and ThistleClan. The ThistleClan and RowanClan cats snarled and hissed with their backs toward the swaying trees. It seems like they weren't going down without another fight.

Whiskerpaw settled down her supplies not far from the battle and she saw that the other medicine cats had followed her with their wounded. They waited behind the WaterfallClan and MeadowClan cats, waiting for some cat to make a move.

Whiskerpaw heard the thundering of paw steps behind her and was surprised to see Inkheart on the back of Chip. A couple other members of his pack were with him, including Stewey and Dapple.

"Whiskerpaw!" Inkheart called and Chip slowed down near the medicine cat apprentice. Inkheart leapt off briskly. "We need to stop this battle!"

"Why?" Whiskerpaw asked. She wasn't against battle, but it did seem odd that Inkheart would come out of nowhere and demand the battle to stop. Usually the black and white loner kept out of the Clan's affairs, though he sometimes showed up at Gatherings on the sidelines and talked small talk with WaterfallClan border patrols. He never appeared on battle sites.

"The Shadow Master! This was his entire plan. He wanted to get the cats gathered in one spot under tight tensions so he could destroy them all," Inkheart quickly explained. "We need to break them up before he strikes."

"But wait—" Whiskerpaw called, but Inkheart was already racing towards the Clans with his dogs and the two other cats behind him.

"Stop! Stop fighting!" Inkheart yowled, gaining every cat's attention.

"Inkheart!" Goldenstar meowed. "What are you doing here?"

"You need to stop fighting and go home, Goldenstar," Inkheart began with heavy panting.

"Humph. That easy for you to say," Prattlestar remarked. "We have a battle to finish."

"No, you mustn't fight!" Inkheart insisted, his voice turning more and more desperate. "The Shadow Master is going to strike soon."

"Who's that?" Sloestar asked.

However, it was too late. A dark, sooty mist rose from the cliffs over the Clan cats. It circled around and around until it took the form of a shadowy cat with bright, luminous white eyes. His eyes glowed once and soon nearly half of the cats' eyes also glowed an ominous white.

"Springfox…what's gotten in with you?" Quailheart mumbled.

"Stalkshine? Shadowclaw?" Privetdrop asked.

"Reedleg? Rustflame? Why are your eyes white?" Otterwhisker questioned.

"Mousethorn?" Goldenstar gasped at his brother. "Can you hear me, brother?"

"Cliffjumper, stop scaring me," Meltingice whimpered at her brother. "Snap out of it."

Similar responses rose among the other Clans as several Clanmates were spooked by their Clanmates' white eyes. Even Inkheart and his entire squadron of dogs shared white eyes.

"Stewey?" Dapple gingerly spoke with fright laced in her old voice. "Geez, not this again!"

"My slaves," the Shadow Master spoke loudly and clearly. "Kill the Clan cats!"

The cats with ghostly white eyes then moved for the first time, turning towards their frightened Clanmates. Their claws unsheathed and they opened their mouths to reveal their sharp fangs.

"Warriors! I command you to stop!" Sloestar hissed, but her Clanmates ignored her and continued to advance on her and her remaining warriors. "Stop!"

"What do we do, Goldenstar?" Privetdrop worriedly commented to his leader. For once, the brave Goldenstar seemed confused for a few heartbeats, but that quickly changed. "We fight, Privetdrop. We fight as warriors."

"But they are our own Clanmates! Our own family members," Privetdrop insisted.

"If we don't fight, then we'll die. We have no other choice," Goldenstar insisted. He raised his head tall and opened his mouth once again. "WaterfallClan cats, attack!"


	21. Chapter 19

**Crap. Crap. Crap. Utter crap. Except the ending!**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) me**

**Tallcloud (c) AnnMY [DeviantART]**

**Stewey (c) Bluestrike2434 [DeviantART]**

**Dapple (c) TheSilentSpirits [DeviantART]**

**Prideheart, Fadedheart, Crowstripe, Mistytail, Featherspots (c) RedRivets101 [DeviantART]**

* * *

Whiskerpaw couldn't believe what she was witnessing: her Clanmates, her own kin, were fighting her Clanmates. It was brother against brother, parent pinning down their child, mate raking their claws across their mate's face, and deputy defeating leader. This must've been what Tallcloud was warning her about, and it's a shame she never fully trusted his wise words.

Several fox-lengths away, Batwing had Sloestar pinned down. The ThistleClan deputy snarled and raised a paw to deliver the finishing strike, but Duskwing threw herself at the black and brown tom before he could.

"Traitor!" Lichenpelt yowled to Shadowmask, the black tom was slowly advancing on his Clanmate. She quickly lashed out with claws extended, nicking Shadowmask's ear. "You're nothing but a stinking traitor!"

A long-haired rowan male mutt was yipping loudly, snapping up cats as it dodged several cats' blows. It snapped up Rubyfur, a ThistleClan warrior, and threw her body into the air and caught it with a loud snap. Several other mutts were doing the same thing, traumatizing their victims before killing them mercilessly.

Stewey and Dapple were locked claw-to-claw as they rolled around in the bloody meadow. Stewey shot out a back paw into Dapple's belly, hoping to shake the old she-cat off of him. Dapple resisted and dug her fangs deeper into Stewey's shoulder. Stewey managed to wriggle free of Dapple's grasps, blood running down his shoulder. His demon eyes brightened and he launched forward, sinking his fangs into Dapple's back leg until he heard an unsatisfied crunch of bone. Dapple yowled and, struggling with her now broken leg, still continued to fight with all of her strength. Apparently kittypets could fight pretty well.

Cedarstep and Moonshadow were teamed up, raking their claws across the Shadow Master's puppets. Cliffjumper was lucky and managed to sink his teeth in Moonshadow's throat while the WaterfallClan deputy's back was turned. Moonshadow panicked and dug his claws into Cliffjumper's flank. Cedarstep heard his deputy's cries and whirled around, his tail bushing. Without hesitation, he shot forward and latched his claws on Cliffjumper's neck, trying to pull him off of Moonshadow. The dark brown tabby tom's claws dug into the dark ginger tabby tom's soft neck and pool began pooling out. Cliffjumper finally let go of Moonshadow's neck and fell to the ground as his neck bled out. His white eyes soon faded into their normal amber before dying.

Thunder roared overhead. "You…You killed him…" Moonshadow panted, trying to comprehend what had just happened. One heart-beat, he felt like he was choking. The next heart-beat, his Clanmate was dead.

"Good," Cedarstep snorted impassively. "One less traitor to worry about."

Whiskerpaw began to realize that nearly all the 'non-infected' Clan cats were sharing the same feelings as Cedarstep; she watched as Russetflame and Emberdust dealt finishing blows to Dewdapple and Featherspots; Maskclaw fell limp in Fogpelt's jaws; Hollowhead bled out mercilessly as Tidefeather ripped his throat out; Mudsplash licked his a bloody paw as the white glow vanished from Apricotfur's eyes; Lichenpelt emerged victorious in the fight with Shadowmask; and Shadowclaw fell from Moonshine's blows. This was certainly a battle of blood and death.

Even Sloestar got in the action of killing; she and Batwing were still scrambling on the ground, tufts of fur embedded in each other's claws. Batwing lung for his leader's throat and Sloestar leaned away. She retaliated by sinking her fangs in her deputy's throat and digging her claws in his black shoulder. It wasn't long before his white eyes turned amber and then he fell limp in her claws.

"Batwing is dead…" Hailbreath, her daughter, commented as Sloestar moved Batwing's body off of herself. "Are you going to appoint a deputy?"

"Of course," Sloestar meowed and gently rested her nose on her old deputy's shoulder. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, my friend. You've served me well." She raised her voice so that others may hear her proclamation. "I say these words so that Batwing may hear and approve of my choice: Berryshade shall become my deputy."

Berryshade let out a snarl and leapt on Voleear's back, sinking his claws into the warrior's dark brown back. Voleear bucked and attempted to get the possessed gray and white warrior off of his backside.

"Oh, wait, he's possessed," Sloestar muttered. "I say these words so that Batwing may hear and approve of my choice: Foxrun shall become my deputy."

Foxrun, whose eyes weren't currently white and glowing, looking up from fighting his daughter, Dawnheart, and nodded.

"Yay, we don't have a crazy deputy," Hailbreath half-jokingly cheered.

Claw suddenly dug into Whiskerpaw's back and she let out a surprised yelp. The scent of Crowstripe hit her nostrils. _Great StarClan, even medicine cats are infected?_ Using the limited battle training she knew, Whiskerpaw twisted her body from underneath Crowstripe with her belly exposed and raked her claws across his cheek. She went for another blow, but Crowstripe caught on to her lame attacks and pinned down her paws to the ground.

Whiskerpaw looked up and saw Pigeonwing rushing over to assist her, but a sudden rush of rage surged through Whiskerpaw. _No! I can do this myself!_ Whiskerpaw dug her hind claws into Crowstripe's soft belly and somehow managed to throw him off. Crowstripe flew not far and scrambled to get on his four paws. He snarled and cackled at Whiskerpaw, but his belly bled heavily. It was like watching a rabid cat struggling to fight.

"Are you going to end it?" Pigeonwing muttered in Whiskerpaw's ear.

Whiskerpaw got to her paws and gave Pigeonwing an incredulous look. "Are you serious?" she snapped. "I am a medicine cat, and I won't take the life of another cat. His wound is not too serious. He'll be fine."

"But he's trying to kill you," Pigeonwing insisted. He pointed with his tail towards Crowstripe, who was torn between ripping the fur off Whiskerpaw's pelt and dealing with the pain in his belly. He let out a hiss at the two medicine cats, his white eyes wide and hard with rage.

Whiskerpaw's golden eyes scorched Pigeonwing's own ones. "No," she answered defiantly. "I won't." She turned to pad away from Crowstripe. The possessed medicine cat let out a howl of anger, but he couldn't move far because of his wound.

Pigeonwing stubbornly followed her. "It would be in self-defense," he argued.

"Hasn't there been enough death already?" Whiskerpaw shouted and motioned towards the battle. Bodies of cats, both those who were trained evil and those who turned evil, littered the ground and the grass was moist with blood.

Pigeonwing bore his teeth. "It doesn't help if they are trying to kill you," he replied angrily. Tufts of fur were missing from his shoulders and his left ear was torn, suggesting that he'd recently been in a scuffle or two against his Clanmates. "We're being slaughtered out there."

"And so are our Clanmates," Whiskerpaw insisted. Nearby, Flintstrike fell as two possessed warrior clambered on his limp body. More warriors bore deadly marks on their pelts as they fought against evil, even though they were committing equally evil crimes themselves. It wasn't just the troubled kin falling, the strongest warriors were falling as well. "It's not their fault their emotions were too strong and powerful! The Shadow Master harnessed their emotions and trained them to kill their kin."

Pigeonwing let out a snort, but didn't respond. Thunder roared once more, drowning the sounds of pain-filled screeches and yelps deriving from the battle. Whiskerpaw glanced at the dark and ominous storm clouds that hid the sunlight, and the scent of rain was finally in the air. Was StarClan going to end this terrible fight? The Shadow Master still sat high in the sky, a wicked grin plastered on his ghastly and sooty form. How could any cat enjoy these acts of terror?

Suddenly, a bright flash of lightning struck the forest territory of WaterfallClan, thunder echoing loudly over the terrain towards the cats. It silenced every creature in the clearing as they looked towards the far off trees. A small smoke pile gently rose in the distance, growing as each puff of smoke rose up.

"That's over our camp!" Otterwhisker exclaimed, her claws deep in Mousethorn's shoulders.

"Our Clanmates are there!" Sharppaw whispered to Gingerflower.

Privetdrop heard the young tom's worried comment and he whirled around to face the small ginger tom. "What was that? Did you say that some of _your_ Clanmates were in our camp?" He bore his teeth in an angry snarl.

Sharppaw boasted his chest, unfazed by the older tom's dangerous appearance. "So what? Maybe some of our Clanmates decided to invade your camp while you were away? After all, you practically gave Tinysnake a whole tour of your camp."

"Why you little—" the white warrior hissed, but Moonshadow stopped his son with a rough shove to the shoulder.

"Enough," Moonshadow snarled. "I'll send a patrol to assist them."

"Not if we stop you," Flashspark growled and stood up to glare at the WaterfallClan deputy.

"Look! The fire is spreading by the second!" Leapingriver yowled. "Our Clanmates could be trapped."

"Quailheart," Moonshadow yowled to the gray tabby tom. "Take Privetdrop and Moonshine to investigate."

Quailheart nodded and motioned with a flick of his tail to the two warriors to follow as he dashed away.

Flashspark made a motion to charge after them, but Moonshadow intercepted him with a blow to the flank. "For now, there is a still a battle to be fought," he snarled and crouched down to attack. Stalkshine leapt on the deputy's broad shoulders, surprising him. The fight resumed.

Leapingriver took this brief moment to check on her family—Goldenstar and Prattlestar were still fighting with blood dripping down each other's shoulders, Springfox was still possessed and fighting Meltingice, Fallsriver was back at camp and hopefully she had evacuated from the blaze, and Whiskerpaw—

"Where's Whiskerpaw?" Leapingriver meowed aloud. She nervously scanned the clearing for her youngest daughter. "Whiskerpaw?" The medicine cat apprentice was nowhere seen in the bloody clearing. She wasn't with the other medicine cats, she wasn't fighting in the meadow…

…There! In the distance, she could recognize her daughter's pale ginger speckled tabby pelt dashing away, straight for the burning WaterfallClan territory. What in the name of StarClan was she doing? Leapingriver had to alert Goldenstar.

* * *

The air was heavy with smoke and it threatened to choke Whiskerpaw before she could even arrive to the camp. She pelted through the scorched sycamore and maple trees, their dry branches and leaves providing excellent kindling for the bright blaze. The lightning had struck right over the WaterfallClan camp, and Whiskerpaw prayed that her Clanmates were safe.

"Quickly, help us with the elders," Whiskerpaw heard Dustberry command. She heard more panic-filled mews and shouts as she approached the camp.

"What happened out there?" Leafwhisper asked.

"Some shadow cat thing suddenly appeared and started controlling our Clanmates." Whiskerpaw recognized the worried voice of her brother, Quailheart. "They started attacking us!"

There was a shuffling of paws. "Like who?" Leafwhisper replied.

"…Cliffjumper is dead," Quailheart somberly spoke.

The sound stopped, as if a cat had stopped whatever they were doing. "Cliffjumper's dead?" came Dustberry's soft voice.

"Cedarstep killed him."

Dustberry didn't respond, but Whiskerpaw heard her whisper something under her breath.

"Tallstalk, how are the kits?" Moonshine quickly meowed.

"They're fine, but let's hurry and get them out," Tallstalk replied.

"Adderpaw, Cragpaw, help Privetdrop with Stripedwhisker," Dustberry spoke again, her voice strong and firm.

"We don't need any help," came Stripedwhisker's stubborn voice. "Go help the kits and queens."

Whiskerpaw finally burst into the clearing the same time Auburnwhisker and a patrol of cats appeared as well.

"Did you chase those mangy RowanClan cats away?" Adderpaw laughed and bounced lightly on her paws.

"We chased them as far as the border," Nightstrike reported.

"Tinysnake led them," Auburnwhisker growled and dug his claws in the ground. "We never should've been so nice to that traitor."

"They fled once they saw the fire," Ryeleaf calmly meowed.

"And so should we," Dustberry replied and then raised her voice. "Pick up the pace, warriors! We need to leave immediately!" She turned towards Whiskerpaw. "What are you doing here, Whiskerpaw?"

"I had to get—" Whiskerpaw panted, the smoke making it difficult to breath, but was interrupted by Cragpaw's yowl.

"Watch out!" Cragpaw screeched. A flaming tree had gotten loose in the blaze and was falling towards the WaterfallClan cats. Cats madly dashed away to escape the tree, screeching and yowling as they ran. The tree fell with a mighty thud in the WaterfallClan camp and the fire resumed its corruption.

Whiskerpaw steadily got to her paws and shook the ringing out of her head. She heard her Clanmates' worried shouts and yowls.

"Is every cat okay?" Dustberry's meow roared over the sound of the flames consuming their kill.

"I just have a few scratches…" Steelclaw mumbled.

"Tinyspirit's dead!" came Auburnwhisker's panicked yowl. "She shoved me out of the way of the tree…she saved my life."

"She died a warrior's death," Stripedwhisker meowed.

"Where's Pikekit? Pikekit's missing!" Moonshine screeched.

"Fallsriver was near the nursery! She's trapped!" Privetdrop also yowled.

"What about Whiskerpaw?" Ryeleaf insisted.

"Their probably trapped beyond the tree!" Tallstalk meowed.

"Fallsriver! Fallsriver, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Privetdrop yowled from beyond the tree.

"Whiskerpaw? Whiskerpaw, say something!" Quailheart insisted.

Whiskerpaw shook her pelt once more and waited for her vision to clear before responding. "I'm okay!" The embers from the flaming tree singed her pelt. The tree laid perfectly across the camp and the fire hungrily ate the rest of the woods behind her. She couldn't see her Clanmates from beyond the bright flames, but she could hear their reassuring words. "But I'm stuck."

"Don't worry. We'll find a way to get you out." Nightstrike yowled.

"Whiskerpaw, do you see Fallsriver? Is she alright?" Privetdrop worriedly shouted.

"And Pikekit?" Moonshine added.

"I'll try," Whiskerpaw shouted back and gingerly scrutinized the camp. Everything was tinted in a bright orange glow and smoke hovered just below the treetops, making it hard to breathe. She let a cough and strained her ears to listen for her sister and Pikekit. She spotted Fallsriver's white patches glowing near the nursery and quickly rushed to it. Her sister laid next to the tree stump, cinders gently coating her white patches. Her swollen belly steadily rose and fell, signaling that she was still alive. However, smoke inhalation was not good for a pregnant she-cat.

Whiskerpaw also heard the worried mews of a kit, fright mixing in with worry. Pikekit was in the nursery and Whiskerpaw gently stretched her neck to grasp the kit by the scruff. The black and silver tabby tom-kit tucked in his paws and tail as Whiskerpaw carried him out. She set him next to Fallsriver and shouted over the flames, "I found them, but we're still trapped!"

"We're working on something, so just hang tight!" came Dustberry's feminine voice.

The pain in her shoulder raged like the fire threatening to consume her, and the heat from the fire scorched her pale ginger pelt. Whiskerpaw couldn't just stand there and do nothing! Fallsriver was still unconscious and Pikekit was…where did Pikekit go?

"Pikekit?" Whiskerpaw called and quickly spotted the black tabby kit a few fox-lengths away. "Pikekit, get back here!" Whiskerpaw trotted towards the mischievous tom-kit. The kit, though his eyes still sealed closed, was a master squirmer. "You're not making this any easier by running off like that, you know," Whiskerpaw mused.

Suddenly, Pikekit let out a screech as a pillar of smoke and darkness appeared next to the tom-kit. The pillar then morphed into the shape of a cat and for the first time, Whiskerpaw could see actual cat features. She could see a dark gray tabby pelt visualize from the soot and the large muscles that rippled under it. She could make out ears and a nose and paws. She could see the black stripes that marked the tom's body and the multiple scars that laced around his throat, face and flank. The most stunning feature were the tom's now glowing yellow eyes that stuck out in the darkness of the tom's figure.

"W-Who are you?" Whiskerpaw stammered. She had never seen this tom before, but he looked pretty menacing. Was this the Shadow Master?

The Shadow Master dug his claws deeper into Pikekit's belly and the kit let out another horrifying screech. He didn't respond to Whiskerpaw's question.

"Let him go!" Whiskerpaw demanded, and she was surprised at the sudden bout of courage that appeared in her voice. "I am the medicine cat of WaterfallClan and I demand that you let go of that kit." When the tom did not obey her orders or respond, Whiskerpaw growled and launched herself at the tom. He dissipated before Whiskerpaw could lay her claws on him and Whiskerpaw landed awkwardly on the ground with an _oomph_! The mysterious tom reappeared out of smoke and ash a few paces behind Whiskerpaw with a mischievous grin plastered on his scarred face.

Whiskerpaw quickly got to her paws once more and let out a menacing growl as the tom approached her. "I'm warning you," she hissed. The tom stopped half a tail-length away from her and still didn't respond. "Are you the Shadow Master?" When the tom didn't reply, Whiskerpaw lashed out a paw. The tom easily dodged. Whiskerpaw lashed out another simple frontal attack, and the tom dodged again with a sick grin on his face. Was he amused by her weakness?

He'd seemed to notice that Whiskerpaw favored her right front paw. In the blink of an eye, he lashed out a paw at Whiskerpaw's already worn out right front paw. She had stretched her shoulder too much that day and it didn't take much to make her fall. Whiskerpaw let out a gasp and crumpled to the ground. The tom smirked and planted an unsheathed paw on her throat as he gazed menacingly down at her.

The tom's yellow eyes sparkled and gleamed in the roaring fire that surrounded them. "I go by many names, Whiskerpaw," the tom finally spoke, his voice as cold as a leaf-bare storm, and it sent chills down Whiskerpaw's spine. He gazed steadily down at her and raised his other paw to strike down at her. "But you can call me Jaggedstar."


	22. Chapter 20 - Berryshade

**A shorter chapter and this takes place during the fight after Whiskerpaw left during the last chapter.**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Fadedheart, Featherspots (c) RedRivest101 [deviantART]**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

Berryshade let out an angry snarl as Runningclaw dug his hind claws into Berryshade's flank. Berryshade struggled beneath the stronger and more experienced ThistleClan warrior threatened to crush the life out of him. The dark gray and white tom widely and sporadically whirled his head around while snapping his jaws, hoping to crunch bone. He managed to get Runningclaw's neck between his jaws and snapped down. At once, Runningclaw's body fell limp on top of the victorious warrior.

Berryshade threw the deceased warrior's body off and briefly shook his pelt. He felt light-headed due to the lack of blood, but also because of something else: mad thoughts were filling his foggy mind and half of the time Berryshade had no idea what he was even doing.

The ThistleClan warrior's mind was suddenly surged with pain and he had to close his glowing eyes. More devious orders flooded into Berryshade's already pain-filled brain.

**_Kill them. Kill the Clan cats. _**

Berryshade scanned the clearing, only one thought echoing in his brain. **_Kill. Kill. Kill._** He needed to kill, for it was his only mission. **_Kill. Kill. Kill._** A somewhat familiar gray tabby she-cat suddenly came into the possessed tom's blurry vision, appearing to help up a fallen Clanmate. As he stumbled towards the she-cat, he began to remember her name: Cinderbird, his sister. A new thought began transmitting into his mind: **_Kill Cinderbird. Kill Cinderbird. Kill Cinderbird._**

_But she is my sister. She's my only littermate. She comforted me when Hailbreath left me._

_**We'll kill her next. Hailbreath doesn't deserve the breath in her body.**_

_But Cinderbird—_

**_She was always the favorite of the litter, wasn't she? After all, she was named after your mother, Cindertail. Your father, Mousefoot, adored her. Cinderbird was always more appreciated and never got into trouble…unlike you. She downgraded you, and made you feel like dirt compared to her—the perfect littermate. Why not end it all here?_**

**_Kill her. Kill Cinderbird. Do it now, while she can't see it coming. _**

_ …__Kill Cinderbird._

_**Kill Cinderbird.**_

_Kill Cinderbird._

Slowly and unsteadily, Berryshade advanced on his sister. Memories began to break through his foggy conscious: the time when they were both apprentices and Berryshade was blamed for sneaking out to play with other apprentices from different Clans. Berryshade had to clean the entire elders' den by himself for one moon and no training for half a moon, while Cinderbird got nothing.

_Kill Cinderbird._

"Easy, Duskwing. Let's get you to Shatterpelt and Sunpaw," Cinderbird muttered as she struggled to support the passed-out Duskwing. The gray tabby tom had blood dripping out of his jaws, his eyes were closed and his body was limp. The only sign of life were the faint moans echoing out of his open jaws. Cinderbird finally caught sight of Berryshade approaching her, his white eyes staring blankly at her and his breath ragged. "Berryshade…?"

Berryshade didn't let her finished for he leapt at her with open jaws and outstretched claws. Her neck fit neatly in his aching jaws and his claws went for her throat. Cinderbird didn't put up much of a fight, and with a quick snap of Berryshade's jaws, fell limp in his throat.

**_Pathetic. A useless piece of flesh. She didn't even put up a fight. I don't understand why Sloestar didn't make you deputy. You have skills beyond any normal warrior's. _**

_She is a weak leader. ThistleClan's never been the same without you._

_**I'm touched.**_

Screeches erupted on Berryshade's left and he whirled around to see Shrewpaw yowling in rage and bounding towards Berryshade. He wanted to avenge his mother's death by killing his uncle. Before the dark brown apprentice could even get close to Berryshade, Puddletail and Frostwillow intercepted him and swiftly silenced the apprentice.

**_Not bad kits you got there, Berryshade. They make excellent warriors. I'll make sure to—. _**The words suddenly stopped, as if the Shadow Master detected something that puzzled him. **_Attention all puppets: whoever kills the golden cat whose pelt shines like the morning sun, shall become my deputy in this realm._**

"Goldenstar!" Berryshade snarled, immediately knowing the answer.

**_Excellent, Berryshade. You better find him first, though. Springfox, Fadedheart and Sorrelpetal also have their eyes on the prize._**

_No! I shall kill Goldenstar. Kill Goldenstar. Kill Goldenstar. I shall become your deputy._

**_I'm pleased by your loyalty. Now, kill Goldenstar._**

_Kill Goldenstar. Kill Goldenstar. Kill Goldenstar._

The dark gray and white warrior wildly scanned the busy clearing, searching for a bright golden pelt…there! Amongst the mass amount of fighting cats was Goldenstar, his claws deep in Fadedheart's shoulders while the RowanClan tom dug his fangs into Goldenstar's neck. Fortunately for Goldenstar, Fadedheart had only managed to grasp the WaterfallClan leader's scruff and not the actual neck. Fadedheart let out a vicious growl and his white eyes stared blankly at the older tom. Goldenstar snapped at Fadedheart's head, snipping his left ear, blood dripping down and staining Fadedheart's white patches.

**_Ears bleed the most. Goldenstar clearly hasn't forgotten his warrior training._**

Goldenstar bit into Fadedheart's other ear and more blood spilled down the warrior's back. Fadedheart finally released his grip on the golden tabby tom's neck and he frantically tried to rub his ears free of the blood.

As Goldenstar leapt away, Sorrelpetal and Springfox surprised the Clan leader by pouncing on his back and digging their claws into his spine. Goldenstar struggled to keep standing, but ultimately fell down as the two possessed warriors began ripping his pelt.

_No! I shall kill him!_ Berryshade sinisterly thought as he jumped on Springfox's back. The brown tabby warrior snarled and snapped at Berryshade_. I shall kill Goldenstar._ While digging his claws in Springfox's back, Berryshade kicked Sorrelpetal off Goldenstar with his back legs. _I shall kill Goldenstar._ Berryshade finally managed to overpower Springfox and throw him off. Berryshade couldn't savor his victory for long, because he suddenly realized that Goldenstar had somehow vanished beneath his paws. He spotted the golden tabby leader limping away.

Claws dug into his neck before Berryshade could leap away. Berryshade fell to the ground with a thud and spotted a gray tabby face near his ear.

**_Duskwing!? How did that mangy old tom gain his footing? Never mind, just kill him!_**

"You killed Cinderbird!" Duskwing snarled in Berryshade's ear. Berryshade tried to wriggle free, but Duskwing had pinned down his paws and placed a paw on his neck. "How dare you, you traitor. I should leave you to Voleear, her mate, but I couldn't do that. I'll just kill you myself!"

**_No! No, no, no, no, no!_** The Shadow Master shrieked as Duskwing dealt blow after blow on Berryshade's body. He could feel his power waning over Berryshade. **_Fight back, you fool! Fight back!_** But it was too late; Berryshade laid still beneath Duskwing's bloody paws. His white eyes then slowly turned back into their normal blue as Berryshade drew his final breath. He was finally free.

**_You coward. You have failed me. Goldenstar will die, either from my puppet's claws, or mine._**

* * *

**Next chapter will return to Whiskerpaw!**


	23. Chapter 21

**Wow. Finally a story with more than 20 chapters. XD**

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Stewey (c) Bluestrike2434 [DeviantART]**

**Dapple (c) TheSilentSpirits [DeviantART]**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

"You're supposed to be dead," Whiskerpaw whispered as she closed her eyes tightly and waited for Jaggedstar's final blow to strike her. She could feel the heat on her pelt as the flames rapidly approached. The air swiftly became harder to breathe in as Jaggedstar's claws were still on her throat and the amount of dark smoke was steadily rising

Would Jaggedstar mangle her body after he killed her? Where would her spirit reside? Would Jaggedstar drag her down into his realm or would StarClan save her? Whiskerpaw took a risk and slowly opened one of her eyes; she saw Jaggedstar's powerful form hunched over her, and his front left paw was raised. His claws glistened in the burning light and his eyes were brightly illuminated.

Beyond his menacing form, Whiskerpaw saw a patch of smoke and clouds part to reveal the last morning stars. StarClan _was_ watching her. Whiskerpaw silently begged her ancestors to have mercy on her soul; she promised to stay loyal to the medicine cat code and serve her Clan for the rest of her life; to put her Clan first and herself second. It was her destiny, and Whiskerpaw prayed for a miracle…

…and she got one.

At once, Jaggedstar's solid phantom was thrown off her body. His claws left her throat, leaving Whiskerpaw to breathe somewhat better. She stiffly got to her paws and was surprised to hear a familiar voice screeching at Jaggedstar.

"Don't. You. Dare. Lay a paw. On my apprentice," the voice threatening spoke. The black tabby tom was hunched over the very surprised Jaggedstar with claws on the tom's throat and belly. The newcomer's bright green eyes blazed like an emerald flame and the cobwebs on his throat stood out on his black tabby fur. He briefly locked eyes with Whiskerpaw and gave a slight nod of approval. "Juniper berries are for…?"

"Strength, bellyaches and wheezing…Mintshard," Whiskerpaw promptly replied.

"Good," WaterfallClan's medicine cat grunted with a small and rare smile.

Meanwhile, Jaggedstar managed to release a paw and attacked Mintshard with a frontal blow to the cheek. Mintshard yowled as Jaggedstar threw him off. At once, the Shadow Master was on his paws and resumed to his sooty and smoky form, fleeing to the sky above.

"Mintshard, are you alright?" Whiskerpaw worriedly asked her mentor. The still weak black tabby tom shook the dust out of his pelt and Whiskerpaw hurried to his side.

"I'm fine," he mumbled. "One minute I was resting after Cliffjumper attacked me, and the next I smell smoke and I hear your cries. What in the name of StarClan is going on?"

"Where do I begin?" Whiskerpaw rolled her eyes. She quickly explained all about the prophecy, about the Shadow Master and how he trained cats from all Clans to kill cats to make tensions higher between the Clans, about the battle that was currently going on, about the lack of water in the waterfall, about how the Shadow Master controlled warriors to kill their Clanmates, about the fire and Jaggedstar. "Our Clanmates are currently working on a way to save us," she finished.

"Heads up!" came Dustberry's loud voice over the crackling of the fire. The medicines cats quickly glanced up and saw a tree falling towards them. They quickly dashed away as the tree crashed to the ground. "Climb over!"

"Are you crazy? We'll burn alive!" Whiskerpaw called back.

"You won't. The tree isn't on fire, yet. We managed to push down a weak tree over the flames so you can cross over," Dustberry explained.

"Hurry before it goes aflame!" Auburnwhisker yowled.

Whiskerpaw ran over to her sister and managed to get Fallsriver to lean on Whiskerpaw's stiff shoulder, while Mintshard grabbed Pikekit ("Who's Pikekit?" "Moonshine's son." "Ah."), who was still whimpering from the wounds Jaggedstar had gave him. Mintshard quickly dashed over the tree towards safety. Whiskerpaw was a little slower due to Fallsriver's weight. As she crossed the tree bridge, the flames below threatened to lick their pelts.

"Don't worry, Fallsriver," Whiskerpaw murmured to her sister's unconscious form. "I'll keep you safe. I promise."

"You're doing great! You can make it!" Quailheart meowed words of encouragement. The two littermates were about half-way across and it seemed that they were going to make it.

"Not so fast!" came a voice from above. Jaggedstar was flying towards them in smoky phantom mode and he materialized in front of the two littermates, blocking their path to safety. "You're not going anywhere."

"Let us through, Jaggedstar," Whiskerpaw growled. "You're fight isn't with Fallsriver."

"You're right, young Whiskerpaw," Jaggedstar snickered. "My fight isn't with you nor your sister. It's with someone else, but the key to luring them out, is you." He braced himself to leap onto the defenseless duo. "And I'm determined to do so!"

"Never!" roared Goldenstar as he launched himself out of the burning forest like a catapult. He shoved Jaggedstar and himself over Whiskerpaw and Fallsriver and into the burning camp.

The tree bridge beneath Whiskerpaw lurched and cracking sounds were heard.

"Hurry!" Dustberry commanded.

Summoning all her remaining strength, Whiskerpaw limped towards the end of the tree with Fallsriver at her shoulder. Just as the tree bridge let out one final and loud crack, Whiskerpaw and Fallsriver landed on the safe ground. Flames licked and feasted on the tree bridge as it snapped it two.

As Privetdrop checked over his mate, Whiskerpaw kept her ears pricked and her gaze focused towards the flaming tree that blocked the camp. She heard the sounds of fighting and snarling, and she could only assume that her father was currently fighting his old enemy.

Every few heartbeats, she could see the two cats tussling between the fire's flickers. They were like different scenes of an elder's thrilling story; one scene that appeared briefly between the tongues of fire was Jaggedstar raking his claws along Goldenstar's flank, and the next scene was Goldenstar biting deeply into the dead cat's neck while sinking his claws in the tom's head. There was a flash of claws and the spraying of blood. The slick blood that dripped down their pelts glistened in the bright blaze that threatened to consume them. There was another scuffle of claws and sharp, high pitched yowls were heard.

"Your kin failed to save mine!" Jaggedstar's loud yowl was heard. He lashed out a paw at Goldenstar, who promptly ducked. "Remember, _Sunflare_? Sunflare failed to save Quakepelt, and Thunderclash had to watch his father fall to his death. I know my destiny; the Shadow Master choose _me_ to help him avenge the light."

"I know that! You told me that _last_ time," Goldenstar angrily snarled. "And I know that my destiny is to be the light to defeat the darkness."

"We shall see about that!" Jaggedstar snapped back. He launched himself at Goldenstar's strong form, just as the flames engulfed them, blocking them from Whiskerpaw's view. She then heard a loud screech of pain just as lightning struck the middle of the camp. A sudden downpour of rain fell from the sky, soaking the cats to their bones.

"I-It's raining?" Nightstrike stammered, looking up at the sky in disbelief.

"Yes! It's raining! It's raining!" Cragpaw yowled and bounced up and down on her paws in joy.

"StarClan is watching over us," Stripedwhisker mumbled, his gaze on the dying flames around him. The gladly welcomed rainfall was slowly putting the fire out, leaving only the thick and smoky air behind.

Whiskerpaw couldn't join in her Clanmates' joy-filled yowls. Her gaze never left the camp. Something was prickling her fur wrong…but she didn't know what; something was wrong. As soon as the flames died from the log and it was soaked with the freshly fallen rain, Whiskerpaw swiftly got to her paws and trotted across the log.

"Whiskerpaw, where are you going?" Ryeleaf asked, as the rest of the group suddenly noticed her lack of presence. Whiskerpaw didn't answer the senior warrior, but instead kept her gaze focused on the still golden form lying in the middle of the camp. She halted in front of his body and watched as the rain drenched his thick pelt.

"Hey, guess what? Those wretched Shadow Master puppets suddenly became normal as soon as the rain fell," Cedarstep yowled in joy as he and the remaining warriors flooded into the camp from the battlefield. "The rest of the leaders left with their dead and wounded right after that."

"Shush!" Dustberry snapped at the senior warrior. She motioned with her tail towards the center of the camp and Whiskerpaw.

"G-Goldenstar…?" Whiskerpaw dared to speak. Grief was bubbling up inside of her, and she couldn't help but make her voice sound like a feeble kit's.

She felt her mentor's tail brush her shoulder in comfort. Mintshard's eyes were somber, but for once he was silent about his opinions.

"No!" Leapingriver yowled and suddenly shot forward. She stopped at her mate's deceased corpse and wildly glared accusingly at Mintshard. "Who did this?" she demanded, her voice cold and sharp, but full of distress.

However, Mintshard didn't respond, and his gaze never left his leader's body.

Mad for answers, Leapingriver whirled onto her son, who was covered in battle scars and bleeding wounds. "You did this! It's your fault that Goldenstar is dead!"

Springfox's eyes were wide with confusion and bewilderment. He was about to speak when Whiskerpaw spoke.

"It was Jaggedstar," Whiskerpaw spoke in the soft rain, followed by her Clanmates' disbelieving gasps. "The Shadow Master choose Jaggedstar to possess in order to kill Goldenstar."

"Jaggedstar is dead," Leapingriver growled. "Why would he want to kill Goldenstar?"

"Because Goldenstar was light. He was the light that saved the Clans in their direst time of need throughout our history," Whiskerpaw somberly replied. "The Shadow Master was meant to destroy my father, and my father was meant to destroy him. They've had many hosts, and they will both return in time."

"So, the Shadow Master will come back? What will we do then?" Moonshine concluded in horror. She nervously wrapped her tail around her kits. "Will my kits ever be safe?"

"They will," Whiskerpaw reassured. "When the Shadow Master finds a new host, my father will also find a new one. Goldenstar will return when we need him again."

At once, Goldenstar's body dissipated into a bright golden mist, swirling in the air towards the dark clouds, leaving nothing, not even his body, behind. Whiskerpaw took a deep breath in. She could feel her father's presence around her, and knew that he would always be watching over her. His spirit spiraled towards the clouds and, upon contact, made the clouds disappear from the sky, leaving only the bright new day greeting them. The rain was gone, the fire was gone, but the light was still there.

"So…what now?" Springfox broke the silence.

Whiskerpaw finally removed her gaze from the ground and glanced around at her battered Clanmates; the wounded warriors, Cedarstep, Meltingice, Privetdrop, and Quailheart were the only three remaining, but they had somehow brought their dead back; Springfox and Stalkshine were receiving angry glares from their Clanmates, because they were the only surviving puppets left; Tallstalk and Moonshine guarded their two kits; Stripedwhisker and Steelclaw gently groomed Tinyspirit's body dry of the rain; Auburnwhisker was studying Whiskerpaw's eyes while Leafwhisper scrutinized her paws, trying to ignore the fact that her brother betrayed their Clan and was now dead; Nightstrike and Ryeleaf were gazing at Whiskerpaw with a newfound insight; Fallsriver was now slowly awaking, resting against Privetdrop's flank; Stewey and Dapple were also among the warriors, unexpecting gazing at Whiskerpaw; the apprentices were fidgeting in their wet pelts; Leapingriver, Mintshard, Dustberry and Moonshadow were looking to Whiskerpaw for answers. They now trusted this apprentice and the wisdom she offered.

Whiskerpaw took a deep breath and exhaled. "We move on with our lives now. We have dead to bury, a camp to repair, new Clanmates to welcome and…" She turned her gaze towards Moonshadow. "A new leader to rise."

Moonshadow looked dumbfounded. "Me? I can't lead WaterfallClan! I…I can't be like Goldenstar, nor Blackfrost, nor Redstar!"

"You don't have to," Whiskerpaw soothed the agitated dark gray tabby tom. "Be the leader you were meant to be and become Moonstar, the new leader of WaterfallClan."

"But Goldenstar—"

"—has returned to StarClan, where he belongs," Whiskerpaw finished. "There is no other cat capable of becoming leader than you. Now," she gestured with her tail towards their Clanmates, "announce your deputy."

Moonshadow sighed and closed his eyes, meditated for a bit. Whiskerpaw could only wonder what was racing through the leader's head right now. He now accumulated a lot of weight on his shoulders, but Whiskerpaw was confident that he would become a fantastic leader.

Finally, he opened his eyes. "I say these words so that Goldenstar…may hear and approve of my choice," Moonshadow announced. He paused for a heartbeat, scanning the burnt down camp and his Clanmates. "Dustberry shall become the next deputy of WaterfallClan."

"Dustberry! Dustberry!" Adderpaw and Cragpaw cheered for their mother before Dustberry could accept.

The dusky gray she-cat padded up to Moonshadow. "Moonshadow…I accept, but I must ask: Why me? There are much more experienced warriors here than me."

"Of course," Moonshadow softly replied. "You've shown great leadership skills while we were away. You took charge of the camp and made sure every cat was safe when the fire engulfed the camp. You're strong and independent, and practically raised two kits on your own. You've trained Reedleg well, and now he's bursting with pride from StarClan. Welcome, as we lead WaterfallClan together."

"Thank you, Moonshadow," Dustberry purred and dipped her head in respect.

Moonshadow now confidently turned his head towards his two medicine cats. "I trust _both_ of you to help me lead WaterfallClan. It'll be a learning process, but never hesitate to offer advice. I trust in both of your wisdoms."

"Thank you, Moonshadow," Mintshard spoke for both of them.

"Moonshadow, what about Springfox and Stalkshine?" Cedarstep spoke up. He glared at the two wounded warriors. "They'd betrayed their Clan and tried to kill us!"

Moonshadow let his gaze rest on the two warriors. Stalkshine ignored her leader's gaze and studied her paws, while Springfox met his gaze fiercely, as if challenging him. "Let them prove their loyalty. I won't banish them, but they need to earn their place in the Clan once more." He let his gaze sweep over his warriors. "This is a new age for all of us, cats of WaterfallClan. I promise to lead WaterfallClan well, with the courage and strength of a father and the love and devotion of a mother. Nothing means more to me than guiding my Clan into the bright future."

"Moonstar! Moonstar! Moonstar! Moonstar!" cheered the warriors.

Whiskerpaw softly smiled to herself. The prophecy had been fulfilled. The Shadow Master had been defeated once again. There were wounds to heal, but WaterfallClan was on course for a bright future, with the golden sun diligently watching over their paw steps. But there was something nagging in her ear, as she heard a tiny little voice whisper in her ear:

_WaterfallClan will have peace for many moons, thanks to the oracle. It was his destiny as the prophet._

_The solar bright, the flaming star, the sun's flare, and now the golden light have defeated the night._

_The phoenix will rise._

_And fire will blaze through the forest._

* * *

**Boom.**


	24. Epilogue

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Cats/Clans (c) Me**

* * *

**_Many seasons later…_**

Mouseshadow ducked as Skyspark swiftly lashed out a paw and nearly snagged his left ear. The ThistleClan deputy was quick and easily misjudged Mouseshadow for his heavy size. Trusting his warrior training, the dark brown WaterfallClan tom leapt into the air before Skyspark could launch himself with claws unsheathed. Mouseshadow quickly flattened the gray tabby tom and dug his claws into the ThistleClan deputy's shoulders and head and lowered himself to the ground.

"You never should've underestimated WaterfallClan," he hissed into Skyspark's ear. He shoved the enemy tom's muzzle into the dirt and he heard the tom moan and groan. He was almost tempted to end the tom's life because of what had happened, but he was well aware of the warrior code and what is stated about death.

Mouseshadow begrudgingly released his grip on the ThistleClan deputy. "You're lucky, cat murder," Mouseshadow hissed. Skyspark glared at the WaterfallClan warrior and quickly dashed away to peruse a different opponent. Perhaps Eelheart would teach Skyspark a lesson or two.

"Mouseshadow!" The dark brown tom quickly spotted the medicine cat dashing towards him. Coppertail quickly weaved her way through the fighting cats and stopped next to Mouseshadow.

"What's wrong?" Mouseshadow asked. He could barely hear the medicine cat, for the screeches of battle rang in his ears.

"It's Ottercreek," the medicine cat panted.

Mouseshadow's blood turned cold at the mention of his mate. "What's wrong? Is she okay?"

"Her kits are coming," the golden tabby she-cat hastily replied.

"Right now?" Mouseshadow winced as a ThistleClan warrior named Molethorn victorious defeated Stormadder by digging his claws into Stormadder's belly. Mouseshadow was prepared to rush to his Clanmate's rescue, but Tuftbelly beat him to it. "Can't they wait?" A battle-filled camp was no place for kits to be born.

"No, they cannot wait!" Coppertail irritably snapped and twitched her darker tail impatiently. "They are coming _now_ and Ottercreek is asking for you." She turned and dashed away towards the nursery without a response.

"Great StarClan," Mouseshadow muttered under his breath before dashing after the medicine cat. It was quite difficult to get to the nursery. He passed by Eveningstar tussling with the ThistleClan leader, Cootstar. The two cats were wrestling around and turning into a black and white blur of fur. Smallstride and Lochstorm were fighting two ThistleClan warriors together. They would take turns raking their claws on the ThistleClan warriors' pelts. After all, they would fight extra viscous because they were defending their home.

Finally, Mouseshadow found the nursery and was prepared to dip his head when Coppertail stopped him.

"Great StarClan, do you think this is the time for visits? Get your snout out of here!" Coppertail hissed.

Mouseshadow irritably took a few paces back. "What? You asked me to come here, didn't you?"

Coppertail rolled her eyes. "Ottercreek did. I didn't. Toms are needed during a birth. Just…protect the nursery or something. Defend your unborn kits." Her small face disappeared into the nursery once more, and Mouseshadow heard his mate let out a loud moan.

"Geez…so annoying," Mouseshadow grumbled and placed himself in front of the nursery and let out a sly smile. Coppertail sure was annoying, but she was also very attractive for a medicine cat. _Don't think about that! Think about your mate and our kits! _Mouseshadow resumed his guarding and sent any trespassing warrior away with a loud hiss, and, if they dared to challenge him, a few scratches. It wasn't long until Coppertail pocked her head back out that Mouseshadow could go in.

Ottercreek lifted her head when Mouseshadow arrived and weakly smiled. "Hey," she softly mumbled. Her amber eyes were faintly opened and her ginger fur was matted and damp from the birth. "Meet your sons."

Mouseshadow shifted his gaze to his sons. They were both ginger tabbies with thick, kitten-fluffy pelts and broad shoulders. Their eyes were closed and their ears were folded. They suckled strongly and practically blended against Ottercreek's own ginger pelt.

"What should we call them?" Ottercreek asked as Mouseshadow gave each of his sons a quick sniff.

Before Mouseshadow could respond, an angry yowl echoed throughout the camp. "ThistleClan, retreat!" yowled Cootstar.

"We'll be back, WaterfallClan thieves," Skyspark hissed.

Mouseshadow frowned. There has been a constant war for many moons between ThistleClan and WaterfallClan, and it seemed like Cootstar was always looking for an excuse to launch an attack. Those cats were fox-hearts to attack the Clan while they were asleep.

"Mouseshadow?" Ottercreek's quiet voice shook him from his bad thoughts.

"Oh, right." Naming his sons. How could've he been distracted. "Right…"

Ottercreek let out an _mrrow_ of amusement. "Well," she began and rested her tail on the first kit. "Let's call him Nettlekit."

"Nettlekit. I like that," Mouseshadow agreed. He focused his attention on the last kit. Now, what should he call his son? His pelt gleamed in the moonlight and shimmered like stars. "...Firekit…" Mouseshadow muttered quietly. Somehow, the name just appeared in his mind, shining radiantly like a star in his mind.

"Firekit?" Ottercreek echoed.

Mouseshadow panicked at the sound of doubt in her voice. "I mean…we don't have to pick that name, if you don't want. I don't know where it came from—"

"—No, that is alright," Ottercreek replied with a smile. "We shall call him Firekit."

The dark brown tom breathed a sigh of relief. He gazed happily down on his kits. "Welcome, Nettlekit and Firekit," he purred happily.

As he smiled contently at his two sons, Mouseshadow swore he saw a speckled of stars flutter down towards his son, along with the sound of many cheerful cats yowling in unison.

_Our oracle has returned!_

* * *

**An AN will be posted soon!**


	25. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Hey! Vec here, and I just want to say, thank you so much for your support! It really, really, really means a lot to me. I love these characters so much and it's so sad to see them go. I also can't believe that I started _The Phoenix_ nearly a year ago!

Now, here are some Q&amp;A's!

**Q: Will there be a sequel?**

A: Unfortunately, most likely not. Unlike the Erins, I know when it's time to let go. I've been with these characters for about three-four years now, and I know that their story is over. I'm still writing and I might through a short story about them!

**Q:** **Will Whiskerpaw ever get her full name?**

Eventually. I just decided to end it there. Sorry! To be honest…I couldn't think of one.

**Q: Will Whiskerpaw and Pigeonwing ever become mates? PigeonXWhisker for life!**

Nope. I may have hinted it, but the ship has sunk! Don't get me wrong, I love them together, but they both realized that it is their duty as medicine cats to put their Clan first. Pigeonwing discovered this when his mother died in Chapter 15, and Whiskerpaw discovered this in the final chapter.

**Q: Why '_The Phoenix'_? There was no giant flaming bird in the story, bro.**

A: Ah, but you are wrong! Do you now the myth of a phoenix? Well, I'll tell you to save your troubles with Googling. Basically, when a phoenix dies, it turns into ashes and is born anew. So, Goldenstar and all his reincarnations are all like phoenixes! They die, and eventually they are reborn.

And Whiskerpaw is a symbol of a phoenix. If you are called a phoenix, it could be because you are resilient, independent and self-reliant, but are able to accept help. You're also a healer and can overcome both physical and emotional wounds. I feel like this perfectly describes Whiskerpaw towards the end of the book: she is both independent and capable of healing her Clan and is a natural healer. Whiskerpaw IS a phoenix!

Also, a phoenix is made up of fire, and there was a large fire towards the end of the book. Doi.

**Q: When are you coming out with the sequel of _Retribution_? Are you going to finish _The Curse of Crackleclaw_?**

A: Yes, and yes! The sequel is still in the brainstorming phases (I NEED A GODDAMN TITLE) and the next time you see me, is with a new chapter of _The Curse of Crackleclaw_!

Now, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to tell me down below and I'll be happy to respond!

Thanks for being such a great audience!

-Vec


End file.
